


Darth Vader's Love

by yahootoldyou



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Force Ghosts, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Time Jump, baby luke and leia, fix it fic kind of, obi-wan becomes a force ghost so i guess, obikin, then teen luke and leia, these tags are a mess, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-07-11 11:32:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7047901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yahootoldyou/pseuds/yahootoldyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s confusion and he forced himself to calm down. If Anakin suspected something he’d know quickly that Leia was his daughter and that was the last thing anyone needed. He closed himself off from the force, certain he’d located the princess on the other end of the ship and kept running, hoping to throw Anakin off entirely so he could make his escape. </p><p>or: the one where Darth Vader may or may not get a second chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh Obi-Wan

**Author's Note:**

> I only own original content.
> 
> Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the first chapter of my new fic and let me know what you think!
> 
> Also follow me on tumblr!  
> intergalacticfuckup.tumblr.com

Obi-Wan stilled, ducking around corners and trying extremely hard not to be seen on the imperial star ship. When he’d received a distress signal from Bail Organa on Alderaan he’d left Tatooine to make sure Leia was still safe. After he struck Anakin he’d left him unconscious in the black sands of Mustafar, escaping with Padmé and her babies. He knew, deep down, that Anakin was looking for him, knew that Anakin wouldn’t stop until he killed Obi-Wan for his perceived treachery. Anakin was on board, he could feel his presence on the ship, sucking the life out of the force like a black hole. Obi-Wan grimaced, he didn’t want to see his former padawan again, not after he’d failed to dispose of him. Obi-Wan had failed as a Jedi and as a mentor, he hadn’t been able to save Anakin from himself.  
He rounded another corner, creeping down it quietly before finding the cell Bail’s family was supposed to be in while Bail awaited execution. To his horror Obi-Wan knew that they were here to watch Bail die at the hands of the Emperor and his trusty pet, Darth Vader. Force, Anakin is going to make Leia, his own daughter, witness murder at the young age of four, old enough to remember and process what exactly she was seeing, Obi-Wan thought, as he used his light saber to cut a whole in the door. He stepped through the hole whispering for Breha and Leia quietly, not wanting to activate any alarms. When he looked up though there was only Anakin, a shadow in his own right, leaning against the wall waiting for him. Obi-Wan gasped in shock, grabbing his light saber and igniting it before moving backwards towards the hole. He didn't want to face Anakin again, not ever, but he knew he had to save Breha and Leia. He braced himself for Anakin’s attack before he realized Anakin, no- Darth Vader, was laughing at him. Obi-Wan bristled but kept his anger in check as he looked at Anakin.  
“Put your weapon away Obi-Wan, it is not needed here.” Anakin says nonchalantly, as if he didn’t murder younglings and his fellow Jedi.  
“I believe a Jedi draws his weapon in the company of an enemy.” Anakin’s eyes are full of mirth and Obi-Wan hopes he lets him leave, Leia needs him here and Luke needs him back on Tatooine.  
“And would you strike an old friend?” Anakin smirked.  
“Is that what we are, Anakin? Friends? Because last time I checked, Friends don’t murder other friends’ families.” Anakin stalked towards him like a predator would towards his prey.  
“The Jedi have brainwashed you Obi-Wan, I’m the only one who ever truly loved you, and I still do.” Anakin stroked his face, trailing his fingers over Obi-Wan’s lips and chin.  
“The Order was everything to me, Anakin!” Anakin’s features hardened and he gripped Obi-Wan’s shoulders painfully.  
“I was everything to you, Obi-Wan. You want to know how I know? Because,” he paused, smirking again and bearing his teeth before continuing, “Because you couldn't kill me on Mustafar. After everything I had done to your precious order you couldn't kill me. You left me alive because you love me, Obi-Wan, that’s how I know.” Anakin had gradually moved his hands down Obi-Wan’s arms and grabbed his hands, leaning forward near Obi-Wan’s face.  
“Loved. Perhaps you didn't hear my confession all those years ago. You were my brother, Anakin, I loved you, but I couldn't save you.” Anakin reared back, anger flashing across his features.  
“You don't mean that!” Anakin lashed out against the nearest wall before leaning against it, steadying his breathing and calming down. Obi-Wan took the opportunity to run, fleeing down the hallway opposite from the one he’d came down previously. He reached out blindly into the force with a panic he’d never felt before as he sensed Anakin trailing him. Where are you, Leia, Obi-Wan thought as he ran, lightsaber in his hand at the ready should he need it. Anakin’s anger was blinding as he stalked after his love, the only person left that mattered to him.  
“I’ve waited four years for this, Obi-Wan, for you. You will not escape me!” He yells into the corridor, feeling in the force as Obi-Wan’s desperate panic increases. What are you looking for, Anakin wondered as he followed Obi-Wan. He knew Obi-Wan was there for the queen and princess of Alderaan but he had accompanied Obi-Wan on plenty of missions and panic hadn't been involved ever. Who is the princess to you Obi-Wan? Anakin knew that she had been adopted but he couldn't understand why Obi-Wan would care so much.  
Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s confusion and he forced himself to calm down. If Anakin suspected something he’d know quickly that Leia was his daughter and that was the last thing anyone needed. He closed himself off from the force, certain he’d located the princess on the other end of the ship and kept running, hoping to throw Anakin off entirely so he could make his escape. He ducked around another corner until he started a calmer pace towards Leia’s cell. He used his lightsaber to cut a hole and entered, finding the princess sleeping peacefully. Breha, however, was nowhere to be found. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, praying the force would forgive him for this and picked up the child, resuming his escape until he finds Anakin in front of him and the hanger bay.  
“Obi-Wan you’re not leaving.” Anakin says, looking briefly at the small sleeping child in Obi-Wan’s arms.  
“Anakin, please. If you love me, if that’s what this is, you have to let me go. I let you go once.” Obi-Wan pleaded, hoping against everything he’d gone through that Anakin would be merciful.  
“Who is the girl, Obi-Wan? Is she yours?” Anakin demanded, wanting to know why the girl was more important than him.  
“She’s the princess of Alderaan, Princess Leia.” Anakin whipped up at the name and a broken expression was in place of his angry one.  
“Le-Leia?” Obi-Wan looked at him and his panic returned, “Obi-Wan… Is this? Is this my daughter?” Obi-Wan’s panic hit the roof and he pulled out his lightsaber, backing away from Anakin quickly and slamming against the wall. Anakin had followed and his anger was returning.  
“You’re not leaving, Obi-Wan and neither is my daughter.” Anakin reared his hand back and struck Obi-Wan across the head, knocking him unconscious.

Obi-Wan woke up in a bed he was very unfamiliar with. He rolled around but found that he couldn't move very far at all. He pulled against the restraints getting nowhere.  
“A-Anakin?” He called out hopefully yet his voice shook with fear.  
“Here.” Obi-Wan looked into the corner to find Anakin lounging against the wall near his refresher.  
“Where is Leia?” He croaked out. Anakin’s eyes narrowed and he walked towards Obi-Wan slowly in the dark.  
“She’s sleeping on the couch. Why did you keep my child from me, Obi-Wan? How could you?” Anakin looked sad almost.  
“I thought I was doing what was best at the time. I had just battled you to what could have been the death and had witnessed you choking your wife. Also I watched her die, Anakin. I put her where she would be safe because if I had failed you in your life I was going to make it up in hers!” Obi-Wan had become slightly hysterical and Anakin’s eyes had become comically wide.  
“You did it for me?” Anakin’s eyes were still very wide and … surprised.  
“Yes.” Obi-Wan stated hesitantly, looking anywhere but his former padawan. He couldn't let Anakin know of Luke, that would be the worst case scenario. He hated the fact that he was still hurting Anakin, the man he loved more than anything else in the world but the point remained that Anakin was a Sith and a large part of the fall of the republic and the rise of the empire.  
“You gave up the rest of your life to look after my child? Obi-Wan I-I… that’s the best thing you could've done in the situation and I'm trying to understand.” Anakin had reigned in his emotions, one thing Obi-Wan noticed he was much better at now that he was Darth Vader and not Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan tried to reach for him and realized he was very much still bound to the bed.  
“Ani, please. Let me go.” Obi-Wan pleaded again, pulling against the restraints.  
“No.” Anakin said forcefully, putting his hands on Obi-Wan’s arms to prevent him from hurting himself further.  
“Anakin, please!” Obi-Wan begged again hoping to appeal to the boy he had trained, had loved what seems like lifetimes ago.  
“NO! No, I’ve just gotten you back and I’m not letting you go ever.” Obi-Wan began to shake at the words. He had failed once again. He had failed Luke and Leia and Anakin and Qui-Gon and Padmé and worst of all himself. He looked across the room to the far wall and kept his face stoic, he couldn't reveal anything to Anakin about his inner turmoil. He was doing his best to block Anakin out in all honesty, he didn't need or want to hear anymore. As he was finally fading out of consciousness he could sense Anakin’s sick contentedness in the force.  
“You and me, Obi-Wan. You, me, and Leia are going to be a family this time and no one is going to stand in my way.”


	2. Obi-Wah and Little Leia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wah and leia bond and escape.

When Obi-Wan bleeds into consciousness he blinks slowly, taking in his surroundings. The walls are stark white and there are faint beeps in the background. Obi-Wan goes to reach out into the force, to try to find familiarity with his surroundings, when he hits a mental brick wall. He strains against it but finds it useless, he has no connection to the force. Deeply unsettled he lays back against the pillows, finally realizing he’s in a medbay. How peculiar… Obi-Wan thinks as he continues studying his surroundings. Suddenly, his thoughts ram forward and he remembers exactly how he ended up where he is.

“Anakin!” He gasps, sitting up straight and rigid.

“Yes, Master?” Shock sent Obi-Wan tumbling out of the bed, ripping tubes out of himself in the process. Anakin was on him in a second, hauling him back into the bed and checking for further injuries.

“Master, you're here because you hurt yourself pulling against your restraints and if you're not careful you'll open up your wounds again.” Obi-Wan looks down and sure enough there are bandages wrapped around his wrists. He looks up at Anakin with wide eyes filled with fear and anxiety. Anakin smiles his feral smirk and looks Obi-Wan up and down, like he is the lion and Obi-Wan is the faun. The sick glee that fills Anakin just hypes him up though, he's waited so long for this and now it’s finally his.

“Oh,” he finally breathes out and Anakin resists the urge to laugh in his face. Finally, the tides have changed and Obi-Wan is at his mercy, not the other way around. The tell-tale yellow of the Sith bleeds into his eyes as he looks possessively upon his former master. Obi-Wan wishes he could just die already.

 

Obi-Wan has been trapped in Anakin’s chambers for weeks with the young Lady Vader, no longer Leia Organa. He and Anakin had argued over whether or not to permanently make her a Vader or a Skywalker. Anakin had said since he had renounced the name Anakin Skywalker, that the girl shouldn't bare the name. Obi-Wan had said it was the title Padmé would've wanted her to have and although it earned him a screaming match and a force choke, he won out in the end. So now, Obi-Wan is raising Leia Skywalker, the daughter of Darth Vader and trying to find a way to escape with Leia and find Luke. His heart aches with the reality that he will strip Anakin of everything again, but he cant stay, not when Anakin is a Sith. Not when he plans to teach Leia the darkside. Obi-Wan shudders and moves towards the living area from where he’d been standing in the kitchen. Leia is playing with dolls, levitating them in the air with the new tricks Obi-Wan had taught her. He would do anything to keep the girl firmly in the light. Leia had grown attached to Obi-Wan, liking him much more than her father. As a force-sensitive child, she could sense the dark in him rolling towards her like waves. Whenever Anakin would get too close she would flee for Obi-Wan looking at her father like he was her worst nightmare. Obi-Wan could see the sadness on Anakin’s face and as much as it hurt, as much as he wished to see it leave, he knew it was much less than what Anakin deserved.

“Obi! Obi-Wah, come play with me!” Leia’s words slurred in her childish manner and Obi-Wan grins before plopping down next to her and reaching for the doll. 

“And who am I to be today, Ms. Leia,” He asks formally, causing the young girl to giggle.

“Silly! You’re going to be the Princess! You know, like I used to be. This caused Obi-Wan to look up startled. 

“You’re still a princess, Little Leia. You’ll always be a princess to me.” Leia looks up at him happily.

“You and me, Obi-Wah. We’re gonna be okay, okay?” She asks, grabbing and holding his hand in hers.

“Okay.” He smiles and he wants, against what’s logical, to believe her.

 

“She’s an imperial princess you know, I haven't stripped her of her title completely,” Anakin says to Obi-Wan long after Leia has fallen asleep for the night.

“That’s not a title I believe she wants. Similar to Lady Vader. They scare her.” He defends the girl, trying to show Anakin why his daughter’s discomfort is more than justified.

“It’s who she is, she wouldn't feel that way if she had been with me the whole time.” Anakin’s anger and frustration builds.

“I gave her the opportunity to have parents that loved and cherished her, I will never apologize for that.” Obi-Wan stands his ground, looking up at Anakin with tired but strong eyes, full of the will of a Jedi. 

“I would have loved and cherished her!” Anakin shouts, beginning to pace the room.

“You would've poisoned her. At least now, even at such a young age she knows what you are and what you do is wrong!” Anakin backhands him, sending him to the floor.

“I would've have loved her! You know nothing!” Anakin screams above him and Obi-Wan hopes Leia stays asleep for what is probably going to happen next.

“I know you! You're not as mysterious as Sidious tells you you are, Darth,” He spits the title through clenched teeth, “Leia is a being of light! A child!” Anakin's rage is tangible and Obi-Wan will not back down, cannot back down.

“She will be the most powerful Sith the galaxy has ever seen!” Anakin shouts in denial.

“You’re delusional!” Obi-Wan shouts and suddenly there are hands around his neck and angry yellow eyes in his line of sight. He feels his consciousness dwindle and eventually he passes out, hoping he doesn't die for Leia and Luke’s sakes. 

 

Obi-Wan tries to itch around the device the med-staff had given him to help heal the injuries he sustained. Leia has been very nice to him for the last couple of days, helping him and taking care of him the best she can. He appreciates her more than he can even think about. In a short time she has become like his daughter, a different bond than he had shared with Anakin. Anakin hadn't been around much and when he was, his guilt and anger felt suffocating. Even Leia could feel it’s presence in the force. She still hadn't warmed to her father at all, even though she knew that Anakin was in fact her father.

“Leia, you’re father is trying.” Obi-Wan had tried in vain one morning.

“Not hard enough.” She responds petulantly.

“He loves you very muc-“

“If he loved me he wouldn't hurt you. Daddies don't hurt Mommies and if he hurts Mommy than he's not love anyone!” The words weren't entirely right but Obi-Wan caught what she meant.What struck him was that she thought of Obi-Wan as her mother. In all of the commotion he had failed Padmé yet again by not telling Leia about her mom. Not anymore, he swears to himself.

“Leia, sweety, I’m not your mom.” She looks up with wide eyes.

“You’re not? But I thought that-“ 

“I know you did and thats okay but your mom was a wonderful woman. A strong, beautiful girl and you remind me of her a lot.” Obi-Wan interrupts her but she hangs on to his every word.

“Obi-Wah? Can you tell me about her?” Leia asks him with pleading eyes and Obi-Wan smiles, lifting her up and laying down on the couch with her laying on his chest.

“Her name was Padmé. Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, and she was a beautiful woman. When I met her she was the queen of a planet called Naboo but I didn't know that at the time…”

Eventually Leia fell asleep there, head full of stories of a beautiful young woman who loved too much and tried so hard for a system her own husband ripped from her. Little did either Leia or Obi-Wan know though that Anakin had been watching on the Security Cameras and he sat in a room farther away, sobbing into his hands. He had ruined everything and he wasn't sure he could fix it. 

 

The day an opportunity arose for Obi-Wan’s escape he eagerly took it. Early rebels had stormed the ship and there was enough commotion for Obi-Wan to make his way to the hanger bay. He grabbed Leia and a toy and booked, his lightsaber on his belt, ripped from it’s electric cage. Obi-wan’s hands were bleeding but he knew this might be his only shot so he went for it. the hallways stretched and when the alarm started to sound he knew Anakin had discovered their loss. He kept going, victory at the edge of his fingertips. I’m coming Luke, he thinks desperately. Still cut off from the force, Obi-Wan knows escaping will be harder but he also knows it will be much more difficult for Anakin to locate them. 

He reaches the hanger bay in record time and rushes across, dodging blaster fire desperately. He jumps in the first fighter he finds and buckles Leia in next to him. She grumbles slightly but stays silent, mainly terrified about whats happening. About what might happen if her Dad finds them. Obi-Wan launches the ship, heading right for the exit when he feels a powerful tug. Looking back, he sees Anakin with his hand raised and anger furiously drawn upon his features. Panic sets in and he launches the ship in to hyperspace, an incredibly risky move. He almost smiles, knowing this is a move right out of Anakin’s playbook, one Obi-Wan had learned from him long ago in the Clone Wars. The ship breaks free and Obi-Wan sails through space, right towards the outer rim. He has to ditch this ship and then he has to get Luke, there’s only one place left in the galaxy where its safe to raise the children. Or rather, a person… or creature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking so long to update! what do you guys think? let me know in the comments!


	3. Welcome Home, Obi-Wan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan travels to tatooine and rescues luke, bringing him and leia to the only person left who obi trusts. Vader is angsty as always

Obi-Wan tucks Leia in the best he can in the small shuttle they’d stolen. He’s making his way to a distant planet to ditch the ship and gain another to finish his transport to Tatooine, to Luke. His bandages he’d sloppily put on himself after setting coordinates are itching and he knows he’ll have to redress them soon to avoid infection. It was worth it, he reminds himself as he feels the familiar, comforting presence of his lightsaber at his side. Leia is wrapped in his cloak and she’s snuggling it deeply. Despite her initial fear, Obi-Wan can feel her relief resonating in the force. She is happy to be away from the man who calls himself her father. Away from his rage and his turbulent attitude towards her. 

Obi-Wan settles in for the trek to Dantooine, knowing a contact there that will help him if need be to find quick and large enough transport for three passengers.

 

 

When the ship settles on Dantooine, Obi-Wan scoops Leia into his arms gently, carefully disembarking the ship. Across the hangar pad is Obi-Wan’s contact and he feels his face split into a large grin at the familiarity of the man in front of him.

“Dex!” Obi-Wan greets him side hugging the man with the arm not holding a baby Skywalker.

“Obi-Wan! Good to see you, old friend!” They fall into easy conversation, Obi-Wan going back with Dex to his remote warehouse where he holds all of his supplies. Obi-Wan feels guilty for endangering his old friend but the sleeping child in his arms allows him to do so. He needs to protect Luke and Leia Skywalker, no matter what it costs him. In the long run he knows it will help the galaxy. His time is limited so he makes quick work picking out a small shuttle. It’s small but it will fit him and the children until he reaches his destination. 

 

 

Tatooine hasn't changed in the three months and a week he’s been gone, the heat still blaring down on it’s residents. He lands in the Jundland Wastes, near his own house he’d resided on for half a decade. Leaving Leia in the ship momentarily, he walks in. Taking in the state of his peaceful residence and grabs what few trinkets he owns. The ones from his time with Anakin he will leave with the children to know a piece of their true father. The others he packs up and places in the ship. He will leave them with Yoda and pray he isn't scolded for having material possessions. They are just trinkets; pictures of Anakin on his life day as a younger child when Obi-Wan would take him out on Coruscant for a treat, Qui-Gon’s old lightsaber, etc. 

He heads back to the shuttle and flies low as he approaches the Lars’ homestead outside Mos Eisley, not wanting to create any suspicion attention from anyone that might alert the Empire, alert Anakin, to their presence here. Dread fills him as he realizes he’s about to break up a happy family and his shoulders sag. He leaves Leia on the ship, the poor girl had awoken in-between Dantooine and Tatooine but Obi-Wan had coerced her back into sleep, telling her stories of adventures and young queens and knights and evil conquerors. Sleeping made this trip easier on everyone. Obi-Wan was loathing the moment when he had to tell her he was leaving to go return to her father, the one she resented even at such a young age. 

When Beru Lars greets him it’s with hesitant eyes and a sad knowingness to her being. Owen stands behind her with anger in his eyes and small understanding. 

“Hello again.” Obi-Wan regretfully greets them. 

“What can we do for you, Kenobi?” Owen asks hesitantly.

“I’ve come for young Luke. A new danger has emerged in the galaxy and it is imperative for his safety that he comes with me.” He watches as Owen wants to immediately say no and yell at Obi-Wan the way he always has but he must see something in Obi-Wan’s expression because he doesn’t. Instead he walks out the door and past Obi-Wan into the desert.

“I’m going to visit my mother and father’s grave. I can’t be around for this.” Owen marches off, resigned grief clear in his stature. Obi-Wan watches with sad eyes before turning back to Beru who has fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

“You have no idea how sorry I am, Mrs. Lars. Unfortunately, the presence that eradicated the Jedi has caught word of the survival of the Skywalker children and in order for them to remain safe we must relocate them.” It wasn't the full truth. Obi-Wan had decided long ago not to burden the farm family with the knowledge of Anakin’s atrocities, to spare their consciouses. The younger woman nods at him and he knows she is willing to do this for the boy she’s been raising for the entirety of his life. She goes in and beckons for Obi-Wan to follow. 

He makes his way back to the shuttle with Luke holding his hand tightly, asking his Ben endless questions. Obi-Wan just calmly shushes him and buckles him in next to the sleeping girl. The trip for Dagobah is a long one and Obi-Wan settles in, ready to reacquaint long lost siblings in the expanse of space. 

 

 

Yoda looks at Obi-Wan with lively, calculating eyes.

“Brought Skywalker’s children to me, you have. Why done this, have you?” He walks around Obi-Wan, his stick offering him balance in his old age. 

“Master, I need your help in raising them to maintain the light. The only child I've ever helped raise fell to the darkside and I cant risk it happening again.” Obi-Wan, one of Yoda’s favorite younglings, begs the master Jedi. Yoda tsks at Obi-Wan, hitting him rather roughly with his stick. Obi-Wan yelps like always has, even as a youngling, and rubs the spot on his head where Yoda had whacked him. 

“You’re fault, Skywalker’s fall was not! Blame yourself, you should not! Blame yourself, you will not! For self-pity, the way of the Jedi, it is not! Listen to your old master, you will! Helped raise you, I did Obi-Wan Kenobi! Know you, I do!” Yoda lectures the grown man before him as if he was a small child and Obi-Wan cowers slightly. He’d always thought of Yoda as a little green uncle, he’s surprised Yoda shares the sentiment of familiarity. He however, is undaunted by the old Jedi master. He remains positive in his resolve to leave the children with Yoda because there is another matter he must tend to.

“Master, that is not the only reason I bring them to you now.” Obi-Wan hangs his head in shame and Yoda’s yes dim a bit in the harsh swamp lighting of Dagobah. 

“Know this, I do. Love him, you do. Against the code, this is young one.” Yoda chastises Obi-Wan but despite his disappointment the fondness he hold for the ginger man shines through. Obi-Wan has grey throughout his hair and beard now and he sports a tan unfamiliar to him in the past due to his Coruscanti upbringing in the temple. He is the man Yoda had always hoped he’d be, even if his attachment to his formal pupil hinders his progress now. Yoda wont hold this against him and he will help him, even if he longs to protect one his favorite pupils himself. Obi-Wan was his great-grand padawan and even if that wasn't supposed to mean anything it meant everything to a Jedi. 

“I do and I know. I know I shouldn't but Master, I feel my talents would be better utilized trying to sway Anakin back to the light.” Obi-Wan implores the small creature and Yoda wishes this wasn't how the galaxy had ended up. the fates of Obi-Wan and these small children were forever darkened by the path young Skywalker chose to walk. He shook the thoughts away, they were unfitting of a master on Yoda’s level.

“Forget, you should not, that down a dark path, your former apprentice has gone. The man you knew, he is not. The man you loved, he is not.” Listen to me, Obi-Wan, Yoda implores mentally. All he wants is for Kenobi to take the children back to Tatooine and raise them and be happy but he knows that no longer is an option. Skywalker- no, Vader, is searching for Kenobi with enhanced vigor now and Yoda, despite the pang of longing and sadness that he feels, knows that Obi-Wan must return. He feels a shift in the force and knows that the two children have awoken from inside the shuttle they were transported to his planet on. 

“Obi-Wah?” Comes the tired, nervous voice of the young princess of Alderaan just as another voice asks, “Ben?” The children stand there together, not questioning who they are to each other. Knowing almost subconsciously that they had a present connection. Yoda watches Obi-Wan look at the children he almost considers his own with a withering look, one full of sorrow and longing. Yoda knows Obi-Wan has to leave, has to return to the man who destroyed the known galaxy and he pities him. It isn't the way of the Jedi but it is the way of a sentient being who cares for another. He vows to raise the children in the place of Amidala, Skywalker, and Kenobi. It’s the least he can do to ease the weight of the galaxy upon Obi-Wan’s shoulders.

As Obi-Wan comforts the children, Yoda makes a promise both to himself and the man in front of him who holds Yoda’s attachment so strongly.

“Jedi, they will be. Help save the galaxy, they will. Their destiny, it is.” Through the tears streaming down Kenobi’s face Yoda sees gratitude.  
“Thank you, Master.”

 

 

Anakin paced back and forth aboard the enforcer, looking around the room he had stored Obi-Wan and Leia in for almost three months and the loss makes his chest ache. He knows that he doesn't deserve them but he cant help the anger that rolls off of him in steady waves. His underlings have been avoiding him for the weeks that have passed since their departure. Obi-Wan had used his own tactic in escaping. An old part of him feels proud that he had influenced his old master in such a way but Vader bites at it in anger, wanting to strangle Kenobi. Strangle, love, hate, kiss… Anakin is racked with contradictions, the force around him turbulent, unrelenting in its angry swirling. Skywalker had been a storm cloud in the force, Vader was a full blown thunder storm, the opposite of the clear sunshine of Obi-Wan and his children. 

An alarm sounds on board the Executor and Vader pulls out of reverie, marching toward the hangar where the alarm sounded from. The walls of the corridors shake in his anger and he feels Stormtroopers hesitate and fear as he walks past, grim satisfaction filling him. Look at the face of your condemner, if you fail me you die, I am your judge, your jury, and your executioner! Fear me!

Upon arrival, Anakin feels a disturbance in the force so strong he forces himself to slow his hasty steps. There, having launched out of a starfighter is Obi-Wan Kenobi, lightsaber hilt in hand. He looks at the legion of stormtroopers that surround him but his weapon remains unlit. Anakin tilts his head, shock overflowing from his person. The stromtroopers he realizes are waiting for his command. 

“Stand down,” he orders, his voice much harsher then he feels, “I will deal with him myself.” Anakin takes more steps toward Obi-Wan slowly. Finally, Obi-Wan turns to face him fully, the defensiveness rolling off of him in calm waves. Anakin is briefly reminded of the lake on Naboo and it’s steady current before his anger returns full force. 

“Kenobi.” He spits out and he can feel nothing but emptiness in him as he looks at the man he’s loved so much for so long. Obi-Wan had betrayed him and now he had taken Anakin’s daughter. Why had he come back? 

“Anakin.” It seems they have reached a critical impasse in their relationship and what happens next rests on Anakin alone. He surveys his surroundings before ordering the stromtroopers to leave the area. They do so immediately, not a single one of them enjoying Vader’s company in the slightest. 

“Obi-Wan,” he hears his own voice hitch and the pain has returned but the anger still burns with fiery intensity, “why did you leave?” Obi-Wan doesn't have the opportunity to answer before Anakin rears his fist back and strikes him out cold. Not again, he thinks before receding into the darkness of unconsciousness.

 

“It doesn't matter, I’ll be damned if you ever do again.” A cold promise lingers there in his eyes, once so blue, now a sickening yellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you guys think of chapter 3??


	4. Luke and Leia's Big Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> luke and leia go on an adventure

Vader stalks around Obi-Wan decisively, his old master's body sprawled out on the floor from where he'd been knocked unconscious. The guards have remained vacated and he's glad for it, he's not sure what he'd do if someone even looked at him the wrong way at the moment. Mass murder, a voice inside his head answers and Vader shakes it from the forefront of his psyche. Murder is a good intimidation factor and a good way to get rid of useless underlings but plain old murder held no purpose. It is this, he supposes, that he tells himself to perhaps convince himself that he hasn't fully fallen into the evil pit of darkness his current master crawled out of. In any sense, he picks Obi-Wan up and hauls his over his shoulder, taking the opposite exit the stormtroopers took to exit the hangar. Obi-Wan's shuttle breaks and crumbles under the weight of Vader's anger in the force, the way the machines had in the medbay when he'd learned of Padmé's death. 

He shakes almost violently in anger now, reminded of his fall and all that it had cost him. The words of his current master flood his brain until angry sorrow and bitter rumination are all he can focus on, "you were a traitor, were you not, Lord Vader? To the Jedi, to Padmé, to Obi-Wan, to all those you loved?" He remembers his anger and his resignation as he admitted that he had in fact betrayed them and he hates himself for it. Anakin wants to destroy the emperor and all he believes in creating for lying and tricking and deceiving him all his life. Vader wants to kill Kenobi for his deception. What a standoff he internally finds himself at.

Obi-Wan groans in his arms and Vader shifts him carefully, unaware of his sudden gentleness. It’s not as though he cant be rough with Kenobi. Mustafar certainly proves that false however, now that he has limited preciousness in his life he cant harm it. Vader’s steps are hurried through the corridors back to his chambers. He walks through the door briskly and dumps Kenobi gently on the bed. Vader finds for the first time in years he has the urge to meditate it and sends a glare towards his former master on the bed. Surely it is his presence that places the thought inside his head. On his way out he locks the door and curses the stars above for all that has occurred in his life. He’ll question Obi-Wan when he awakens, for now some new security measures must be put in place.

 

 

~14 years later~

“Control, you must have, young one.” Yoda chastises Leia Skywalker who groans in response. Luke is over working on katas further in the swamp and Leia feels a brief pang of jealousy before shoving it away. She is a Jedi and those feelings have no place in her life. Its the twin’s 18th lifeday and Master Yoda has promised them actual food instead of root stew like usual. She’s excited and knows that Luke is as well, he’s just better at hiding it.

“Yes, Master.” She says, pushing her hands further into the soft mud trying to gain steady balance. She’s currently in a hand stand position and is in a force strengthening exercise where she lifts objects from the ground. Leia hasn't seen Obi-Wan since she was four but surprisingly she remembers the man well, thinking of him as her father figure. She knows that doesn't necessarily make sense since she and Luke have been with Yoda for fourteen standard years but the creature is like her grandfather, too kind and wise to be a parent. Yoda is watching her with intent eyes and she knows he’s disapproving of her distraction today but she cant help it. Every year on their lifeday Obi-Wan makes brief contact to tell them how much he loves them and she’s excited, so so excited. Yoda senses this and grumbles login his throat.

“Done, we are, for today children. Eat and Wait for Obi-Wan’s contact, we will now.” She hears Luke whoop excitedly from behind the trees and smiles, she knew he was excited too! He appears behind a fallen tree trunk and hops over it, making his way towards his sister and caretaker. He hooks an arm around his sister’s waist and leads her back towards Yoda’s mud hut. They had raised the ceiling in it years ago when the twins turned ten because not everyone remained tiny like Yoda. The little green man had been put off by their insistence but helped them, knowing that if he didn't he would just hear about it more as the twins continued to grow. For humans, the twins weren't particularly tall and Yoda found himself thanking the force. Had the children inherited Anakin’s height instead of Padmé’s the height difference would be much more annoying. The three wait patiently for hours until the sun rises in the horizon of Dagobah and it signals the end of the twin’s lifeday. Obi-Wan had made no contact with them and Yoda knows as much as it saddens the twins it worries them ten times over. 

“Master Yoda, is Obi-Wan alright?” Luke asks him and Yoda averts his eyes. He wishes he could tell the twins that their father figure was fine and no harm had come to them certainly but he cannot. The darkside clouds his fate, just as it has since he returned to Skywalker all those years ago.

“Trust in Obi-Wan, we must children. Strong, he is.” Yoda says and the kids look down at him in alarm.They know after years of living together that Yoda only answers in riddles when he doesn't have an answer, when he doesn't know.

“We have to go to him.” Luke says, worry laced throughout his facial features as his sister exclaims, “We have to save him from that monster!” Luke looks at his sister, knowing how she feels about their actual father. Having never met him, Luke hopes he is better then Leia says but there is no one he trusts more than his sister. If she says their father isn't to be trusted then he isn't. Luke doesn't know if he could call him a monster though. Yoda looks at them with tired eyes, knowing he’s lost the battle before it even started. The twins will attempt to rescue Obi-Wan. Yoda just hopes their training is enough to keep them alive.

 

 

A much older Vader walks into his chambers, greeting his lover with a kiss on the forehead. 

“Hello, Obi-Wan.” He greets again, smiling as Obi-Wan slides his eyes up towards Anakin slowly. 

“Anakin.” The coruscanti accent is smooth as it wraps around the syllables that are his own name. It touches something within him every time Obi-Wan refers to him by that name, even if it isn't quite one he goes by anymore. 

“Today is their lifeday.” Anakin mocks cruelly in his reminder and he sees Obi-Wan flinch out of the corner of his eye. They’ve been reunited for over a decade but Anakin will never fully forgive Obi-Wan for taking his child from him, even if it was for good reasons. 

“Yes… I know.” At least he acknowledges what he’s robbed us of, Anakin’s psyche spits at him. He shrugs away the comment. 

“You will not, under any circumstances be contacting them today. I know you’ve somehow always managed in the past but now its different. I wont let you unless you let me.” He declares forcefully, looking at his former master with fiery eyes. Obi-Wan doesn’t respond, just looks at Anakin with empty eyes and Anakin storms out, unable to look at the empty grey eyes that used to hold so much compassion. You took that from him, a voice inside of his head tells him ahead and Anakin bites him lip until he tastes blood. He doesn't need to be reminded of his failures, he’s well versed in them.

Obi-Wan allows himself to break down once Anakin has left. The tears flow freely and he prays that the force will forgive him for being so weak. He didn't contact his reasons for living today, the two things that keep him alive in this hell. He came back so Anakin wouldn't destroy the galaxy but he knows that Anakin has still done that. Now the only reason he doesn't leave is he loves him too much to leave him alone. Obi-Wan knows him leaving would destroy Anakin, no matter how cruel the man could be to him sometimes. He stands and walks toward the fresher, hoping to take a hot shower before he inevitably passes out. Obi-Wan avoids looking in the mirror, knowing if he does all he’ll see is the bruises covering his neck both from Anakin’s mouth and hands and the discoloration in his skin from not having been outside in fourteen years. Fourteen years since he’d seen or held his babies. Fourteen years since he’d subjected himself to the pain that was living with the ghost of someone you used to love so wholly. 

After his shower, he lays down in his bed, wrought with guilt over having missed the twin’s life day.

 

 

Leia and Luke are flying the imperial fighter gifted to Yoda by the rebellion and they're doing a great job, they swear. They know how to fly, it almost comes naturally to them but this is a model they're not used to and they swear its going alright but it’s probably really not. they don't plan to take this ship to rescue Obi-Wan but they have to get to Tatooine because they have to buy passage on a ship; Yoda’s instructions. Apparently the Tie Fighter could be used against them in combat and Yoda deemed it safest to find someone who actually knew how to fly in their vehicle. The twins reluctantly agreed so here they are, on their way to Tatooine to buy passage on a ship to rescue Obi-Wan. 

When they finally reach the desert planet, Luke has clear nostalgia present in his eyes and Leia wishes she could sympathize but as soon as she feels the grainy stuff covering the planet she's had enough. Alderaan is a place she would've liked to go back to but she realizes that wasn't possible with the Empire’s control so heavily in place after the death of her adoptive parents over a decade ago. 

“What is this bantha poodoo?” She asks her brother regarding the substance that is molding around her boots.

“That would be sand, Leia.” Luke says rolling his eyes. She gives him a pointed look before continuing to walk towards the small city establishment. 

“Well I hate sand, it’s coarse and rough and irritating.” She declares and feels the force ripple, as if thats something it’s heard before. Interesting. Luke just laughs and pushes forward into Mos Eisley.

They enter a cantina on the far side after tricking some stormtroopers to let them through with out identification. Luke heads over to the bar to listen for prospective pilots and Leia bumps around, starting conversations. She seems to be taking up time with a cookie as Luke orders his drink. All of a sudden he feels a tap on the shoulder.

“He doesn't like you.” A nasty looking guy tells him and Luke would tell him to kriff off but he’s a Jedi and he has manners.

“Sorry,” he mumbles turning back towards the front. He feels the man rip him back by his shoulder and suddenly his lightsaber is out and he’s chopped off the man’s hand. He hears screams and the man writhing in pain but he takes down the friend that didn't like him and stabs the lightsaber through the man on the ground. He looks up, daring anyone else with his eyes before he sees Leia in the corner and the gravity of what he’s just done weighs on him. The Empire is going to know they’re here. He rushes over to her in fear.

“I found us a pilot… Was that necessary?” She asks and he nods. In the moment it had been… Looking back it probably wasn’t. His sister sighs and shakes her head before dragging him over to a table. They both know they have to work quickly. 

An hour later they’re boarding a ship called the Millennium Falcon with a captain by the name of Han Solo and a wookie named Chewbacca. They owe this guy a lot of money now but Leia seems sure that it’s no problem so Luke goes along with it. This Han guy is a real piece of work though, completely out of his league in this situation. He knows he’s got two fugitive Jedi on his ship but he doesn't seem to care and that… relieves Luke as much as it worries him. For Obi-Wan, a voice in his head answers. He cant help but wonder why this is the situation that Obi-Wan has put himself into.

 

 

When Anakin hauls him out of bed he’s surprised to say the least. 

“We’re moving,” he informs Obi-Wan bluntly and Obi-Wan follows, not bothering to take anything with him. He has nothing worth value other than the holocron safely stored in the hilt of his lightsaber at all time. He doesn't know why Anakin has allowed him to keep his weapon but Obi-Wan has never tried to escape so maybe thats why. He feels it weighing on his hip at the moment, always a comforting presence. They walk through corridors and Obi-Wan cant help but feel giddy to be out of Vader’s chambers. It’s only happened a hand full of times and he cherishes the feeling of a brief and restricted amount of freedom. 

Eventually they reach a hangar and are loaded on a shuttle for transport. Obi-Wan knows the Emperor knows of his imprisonment and survival and so once again he wonders if this is finally the day he dies. If Anakin has finally grown tired of him. He feels Vader stiffen and realizes his shields weren't properly up and Vader probably heard that last though. 

“Don’t consider yourself so lucky, old man. It’ll be a long time until I'm tired of you.” Obi-Wan sighs, if only that weren't true. The shuttle hurries through hyperspace towards a small moon. The closer they get, the more intricate the details of the moon get and Obi-Wan realizes in horror that they are in fact headed towards a space station. The smirk Vader wears next to him sickens him and he feels bile rising in his throat, threatening to exit his body in the most unbefitting way. Luke, Leia, he calls out into the force, knowing they wont hear him from this far away, stay safe. 

 

 

The Millennium Falcon soars through space and Luke is busy playing around with some droids Solo picked up on Tatooine. The droids: C3PO and R2D2 are easy enough to be around, Leia thinks privately. Its that scoundrel that bothers her endlessly. They’re approaching a small… planet? Moon? She’s not sure. Solo is talking loudly to Chewbacca and she’s just sitting, looking out at space she hadn't seen since she was a small child. She doesn't think about the moon again until the falcon lurches to the side and she hears Solo exclaim in alarm. 

“What’s going on?” Luke asks, entering the cockpit.

“We’re stuck in some sort of… tractor beam!” Solo exclaims and really, what a genius statement, cant get any smarter than that. Leia rolls her eyes as the boys in the ship talk about gravitational pull when she notices something startling.

“That’s no moon…” She says and they all turn to stare at her like she’s got three heads before she continues, “That’s a space station!” And really, that’s just their luck. 

 

 

They enter the station in storm trooper outfits, praying no one notices that Luke and Leia are a bit short to actually be storm troopers. Chewbacca’s got cuffs on and is being lead by them to the prison hangar where they assume Obi-Wan is. Before that though they have to dispose of the droids. They enter the information center and knock out the imperials inside. 

“Yeah!” Solo yells and honestly Luke is so endeared. Leia, however is taking no bantha poodoo from nobody. 

“Threepio! Locate Obi-Wan Kenobi!” She orders while running around putting in distractions for the imperials. She shuts down an entire fighter hangar and locks several rooms. The apparent malfunctions should confuse enough of them for awhile. She just has to get everyone past Darth Vader, the Enforcer of the Empire. Also, she knows, her father. 

“Obi-Wan Kenobi is located within Darth Vader’s chambers on the third floor.” Kriff. She looks at Luke and hauls him out, lightsabers in hand and helmets on. They have to get there as inconspicuous as possible but after… anything goes. Han protests but she tells him to ready the falcon so they can make a quick escape. He and Chewie nod and the twins walk as calmly as possible, masking themselves as much as possible with what Yoda has taught them. They enter the elevator and hold their breaths because an Imperial General is standing directly to their right. They make it out alright, thank the force and walk steadily on the third floor.

“Halt!” Another stormtrooper tells them, “this is restricted area, you're not supposed to be here.” Luke thinks on his feet quickly turning to the man and sputtering out a response before Leia waves a hand in front of the trooper’s face. 

“You are going to let us pass and you never saw us.” She says in a monotone voice and Luke can feel the force quivering. Just like Leia to use the force, he hopes she hasn't alerted Darth Vader to their presence. Finally, they reach the door to Vader’s chamber and it opens with use of the force. Again. Luke really hopes this isn't going to bite them. 

“Go get him, Luke! I’ll watch the door!” Leia shouts and he rushes in, feeling a life form in the room to the right. Opening the door, he sees an older version of Obi-Wan, but it’s a nice sight and it warms Luke’s heart. He sees shock on Obi-Wan’s face before it settles into distain, confusing Luke. 

“Aren’t you a little short to be a storm trooper?” Ouch. Oh right, Luke is in disguise. He pulls the helmet off and sees Obi-Wan go pale with recognition.

“It’s me, Luke Skywalker I'm here to rescue you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the time jump! i wanted to get to Anakin's redemption! anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter!


	5. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stand down vader, the kenobi-skywalker's won't allow you to separate them any longer.

Vader knows when a disturbance occurs on the Death Star. Tarkin is barking orders at him when he makes his swift exit, ignoring the shouts from behind him. At first he thinks it to be Obi-Wan and reaches out in the force to find his lover thankfully undisturbed. He feels out in the force and feels several new signatures onboard he’s certain don't belong. They're bathed in sickening light and he knows without a doubt that there are two Jedi onboard. Sneering, he follows their signatures that are well masked but not well enough for someone as attuned to the force as he is. In a panic, he discovers they're headed for Obi-Wan. A fierce growl rips from his throat and his pace picks up to a sprint as he races towards his quarters. No one is taking his love away from him again. Never again. 

 

 

“No!” Luke could hear Leia shout before she is eerily silenced. No noise rang through the apartment and Luke realizes his greatest fears had become a reality. His eyes widen in fear just as he is force shoved out of the way. Looking up he can see Obi-Wan clench his fist in front of his face. The force had been returned to him, Luke realizes. The naked shock and relief on the man’s face after over a decade without the aid he had grown with is apparent and Luke knows that the feeling must be the epitome of bliss. Obi-Wan, the Master Jedi he was, quickly shook it off and stood in front of the young boy.

In the door way, Luke realizes, is a man completely in black. A living shadow, a voice in his head tells him and Luke visibly shudders. The man’s eyes look over Obi-Wan’s shoulder at Luke and Luke realizes Obi-Wan’s lightsaber has been lit and he now crouches over Luke like a mother tiger would her cubs. Luke reaches into the force blindly for Leia before he feels phantom fingers brush across his throat before tightening. 

“Obi-Wan,” the man acknowledges even as he chokes the blonde boy behind his lover. Obi-Wan looks between them quickly before steadying his stance and raising his saber to fighting position. 

“Let the boy go, he is of no use to you. Let him take the girl and go, Anakin. They are innocent.” Luke stiffens further at the mention of the man’s name before he is suddenly dropped to the floor. This man, Anakin, Luke now knows him as, is looking at Obi-Wan and is further in the room than prior. The exit calls to him, the overwhelming need to get to Leia strangling him like Anakin had before. He makes towards it but is suddenly flung backwards, hitting his head on the durasteel wall. He groans as Anakin glares at him.

“You, boy, will not be going anywhere.” Anakin seethes at Luke. Obi-Wan shoots Luke a look that is purely parental, one telling him to stay put and follow his lead. 

“As for their innocence,” Anakin spits out the word, “I hardly think they are. They just tried to break free an imperial prisoner under the direct watch of Darth Vader and,” he pauses again to glare at the blonde boy, “these children are Jedi. Two major crimes.” Luke’s lightsaber weighs against his hip heavily, he had forgotten it was there. He knows now that the man in front of him, the angry thunderstorm in the force, is Darth Vader. Fear spikes in his heart but he knows he has to get to Leia, has to save her. Suddenly, with a burst of reckless courage native to a Skywalker he stood up and lit it, taking stance beside Obi-Wan. To his surprise, Vader laughed loud and cruel, sneering bitterly at him. Luke can feel Obi-Wan’s exasperation and disapproval in the bond they’d had since he was an infant. It had laid dormant all of his life due to distant but it flares with vigor now. 

“They are children, Anakin. Let them go and I will stay with you, you know I will.” Vader turns his sneer to Obi-Wan now and he looks torn between anger and heartbreak.

“What makes you think you have a choice, Old Man?” Obi-Wan glares at his captor. This is the man that had turned his father to the dark side, the one who made his father a monster. Luke can’t imagine how Obi-Wan feels for the man that basically destroyed Anakin Skywalker and yet he’s going to stay for Luke and Leia to escape. 

“I will fight to get them to safety, Anakin. If I do that, you may have to kill me.” Luke sees Vader wave in his resolve. Luke takes the opportunity, shoving past and into the living area where he finds Leia laying on the ground. He can hear Obi-Wan wrench Vader back as he attempts to follow and the ensuing conflict. Taking deep breaths to steady himself in the force the way Yoda had taught him, Luke force heals the head trauma his sister had sustained in her collision with Vader. Anakin… Luke looks back and sees Obi-Wan struggling to beat the man after years of not practicing. Luke shakes with vigor now, hoping to wake Leia so they can help Obi-Wan.

“Luke?” She questions, opening her eyes. She looks around, clearly confused about their location before it all comes crashing down on her. Luke is too relieved to feel the impending danger in the force and is caught off guard when Leia’s blue saber meets a blood red one that was inches from Luke’s head.

 

 

Obi-Wan feels Luke’s flee before it happens. Knows instinctively that his first priority will be to get to Leia. Skywalker loyalty is unwavering, no matter what generation. As a shock of blonde rushes past Vader in his line of sight he prepares himself. When Vader makes to follow his secret son, Obi-Wan lunges at his lover, knocking him unceremoniously to the floor. He hears Anakin grunt in surprise and twists them, wrestling him into submission. Anakin flips them before he can, and glares down at Obi-Wan.

“What are you doing?” Anakin asks and Obi-Wan can see the betrayal alive in his eyes. Oh Anakin, if only you knew just who I was saving, Obi-Wan thinks before throwing his knee forward. Vader breathes in sharply as Obi-Wan makes contact with his lower regions. Anakin rolls off of him, clutching his groin and breathing deeply.

“The right thing.” Obi-Wan declares, standing and trying to flee the room to check on his babies. He feel the familiar pressure on his neck before he can and sees Luke healing his sister through the doorway before he is thrown backwards onto the bed. In Anakin’s eyes Obi-Wan can see the younger man’s need for explanation, resolution, anything but betrayal and Obi-Wan wants more than anything to give it to him but he says nothing and Vader takes a sharp breath. Looking directly at Obi-Wan, who is currently being held at the wall by the force, Obi-Wan sees yellow bleed into the crystal blues he loves so much. The same ones Luke has on his face. He sees the heart breaking sight before Anakin shocks him briefly with force lightning, incapacitating him for a brief amount of time. He sees Anakin walk out of the bedroom and light his saber before he passes out. 

 

 

“Oh, Little Jedi, you will not escape me.” Vader says as the girl pushes her blade against his. He sees recognition in her eyes, and steps closer, trying to overpower her with his added weight. He sees her clench her bared teeth as the boy twists, lighting his lightsaber and standing beside his partner. Hmm, maybe these two will be a challenge, Vader thinks before they engage. He shoves the girl backwards with the force into a wall before turning on the boy. There’s something infuriatingly familiar about the boy but Vader can’t put his finger on it. He feels like he knows him, like he’s met him before but knows in his soul that he hasn’t. The boy’s blue eyes stare into his yellow and Anakin raises his saber before brutally beating the boy backwards with harsh strokes. He has the boy against the wall, about to beat him into submission and death when he hears,

“Father, no!” He spins, shock covering his features, rippling through his body from head to toe. The blonde behind him chokes audibly but Vader looks at the brunette in front of him and pictures his little girl. A princess with dark hair and eyes fills his memories and this is his baby girl but she is no princess. A warrior, a Jedi Knight stands before him and he feels bile rise in his throat. They’re enemies, Obi-Wan made his daughter his enemy! The blonde behind him is payed no mind but he can feel the shock and angry betrayal rolling off him in waves towards his daughter. Anakin wants to kill him for feeling that way towards his child before he realizes that the two’s force signatures are strikingly familiar. Son…? He thinks as someone crashes the hilt of their lightsaber against his skull. 

 

 

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Master, a Council Member, a lover, but he is a parent and a mentor first. As Anakin lays limp on the ground he looks at the two children he has done and given up everything for and only feels pride. He knows he must put up a front of disapproval for teaching sake but he is undeniably proud of the good beings they’ve become, even if it was in his absence. He flips his lightsaber back into proper position before he addresses them.

“Luke,” he embraces the angry blonde first, kissing his head. Luke melts against him even though he is beyond angry for having been kept in the dark about Vader being his father. Leia had known all along, had known his name. Betrayal sinks deep in his bones and he glares over Obi-Wan’s shoulder at his sister who has enough humility to look sheepish. Obi-Wan releases him with a fond look before going to Leia and embracing her. Leia starts to weep softly in his arms and he kisses her head too.

“Leia,” he soothes, brushing his fingers through her hair that hangs loose after being ripped free from her intricate braids in combat. They don't have enough time for him to hold them as long as he’d like or to work out the differences between Luke and Leia before Anakin wakes again so he leads them out into a corridor and allows Leia to lead them back to where they left Han, Chewie, and the droids. They all have their lightsabers lit at their side incase they run into any guards or officers. Survival and escape are vital for them as a family, they’ve given up too much to give in now. 

 

 

“Who’s this old fossil?” Han demands to know as the three reach where they had left their companions. Leia glares at him as Luke gives him a slightly disapproving frown. Han doesn't know which twin he likes the most but he definitely feels worse for disappointing kindhearted Luke more than spirited Leia. Leia eggs him on, makes him want to instigate her until she explodes. Luke makes him want to be a better person, makes him want to care. 

“This is our father, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Luke says and Obi-Wan looks on in shock as being introduced that way. 

“No offense kid, but I’m pretty are your last name is Skywalker, not Kenobi.” Luke nods and Leia huffs in annoyance.

“This man loves us as his children and we love him as our dad. He may not be our biological father but trust me when I tell you i’d give up being a Skywalker to be a Kenobi any day.” Obi-Wan wants to tell her no, that she and Luke are the only good thing the Skywalker legacy has left, but he understands on a level where she is coming from and leaves it alone. Han leaves it alone too, obviously sensing this was a passionate topic. He changes it.

“Well, our droid buddy here, Artoo, disabled the tractor beam while you two were of exploring a space ship so if we can get back down onto the Falcon we should be safe for escape.” Luke rushes towards the smuggler, embracing and thanking him. More than anything, Luke wants to be off this ship and away from his sister, he needs some time alone to deal with his new information. Then, Leia has some serious explaining to do. 

 

 

The hangar is surprisingly empty and Han looks around suspiciously before leading out their crew into plain sight. They gauge reaction for a few seconds, realizing that there is literally still nobody there. Odd. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Han mutters and is ignored. They make their way to the Falcon and board it, Han and Chewbacca headed to the cockpit. The rest of the crew relaxes and start to breathe easier as the ship takes off into the free expanse of space. Obi-Wan holds Leia’s hand and looks out at the galaxy, drinking in his freedom. He feels undeniably guilty for leaving Anakin but it’s dampened by the force singing in his veins and the vast unknown ahead. No more mundane days of the same routine in the same room, he would have variety and conversations that didn't leave a bad taste on his tongue. 

“Finally free.” He breathes and feels Leia squeeze his hand.

“Not quite.” Suddenly, a presence that had been so carefully masked floods the Falcon, so strong it threatens to strangle any force sensitive onboard. Whipping their heads the Skywalker-Kenobi’s find themselves face to face with the one missing member of their family.

Darth Vader stands in front of them, lightsaber lit and menacing anger gracing his features. Looks like Luke’s alone time has to be cut short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so. Luke had no clue Vader was his dad, only that his dad had turned to the dark side and was an imperial. Leia had sheltered him from Anakin's true identity because she knew that knowing vader was his dad would take some of Luke's innocence away and she couldnt bear doing that to him. Luke also did not know Anakin was his father's name. He's heard it before, recognizes it, but doesn't quit put the pieces together. Poor Han is trapped in a skywalker sandwich. Obi-Wan is a free cinnamon roll. And as always, Leia is a badass bent on saving the world and keeping her brother safe. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter in the comments! thanks for reading!


	6. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> leia is brutal to her father and luke is an angel.

“Kriff!” They all hear Han yell from the cockpit and the scuffle of feet as he rushes towards them, blaster raised.

“Looks like we have company-“ He cuts off staring into the bright yellow eyes of Darth Vader. Stunned into silence he keeps his blaster raised, but Leia can clearly see the tremors racking throughout his body. She snorts, calling the attention of everyone, including her brother who was still less than pleased with her.

“Of course! Of course you just have to mock him! Even in the face of death itself you cant leave anything alone without comment!” The blonde brother shouts at the brunette sister, who bristles in response.

“Watch it, Luke! I know you're mad but this is hardly the time-“

“It’s the time! Don't tell me what to do, you're not Yoda, Leia-“ And just as abruptly as he cut his sister off he too shuts down because in his anger he may of revealed too much. Their father looms in the doorway and they turn to face him finally, fear seeping into their eyes. Vader just turns his head slightly towards Obi-Wan, not taking his eyes off of his children.

“So that’s where you sent my children. To the troll.” He says and it’s void of emotion but all the force sensitives feel anger pulsing in his signature. 

“Yes.” Obi-Wan says and Leia feels the urge to defend Obi-Wan and Yoda, the only two she can remember loving besides her brother. 

“Hey, you listen here tall, dark, and emotional,” She hears Han laugh minutely and continues, “you have no right to judge him! At least he made sure we were happy and cared for! When I lived with you all I remember is horror!” Vader glares at his daughter fiercely but she returns with a look just as frosty and Obi-Wan and Luke wonder if this is a hereditary thing. 

“I would've made sure you were happy and cared for.” He sounds so sure of himself it makes Leia want to spit at him.

“Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, buddy, it doesn't matter now.” Her attitude surprises the dark lord, it is most unbecoming a Jedi. Maybe they had become more unorthodox since the fall of the Order. Obi-Wan quickly stands between them and stares them both down. Vader doesn't completely deflate but rather takes Obi-Wan by the arm and hurls him out of the room with him. Luke and Leia watch where their parents disappeared around the corner but they don't return. Leia turns to Luke and reaches out her hand but he glares at it.

“Luke I’m-“

“Save it.” He spats before walking out of the room to where Han and Chewie are in the cockpit. Leia has never felt so alone as she sits down on the bench. If Luke felt his sister’s lonely agony through their bond he didn't do anything about it. 

 

 

Vader hauls Obi-Wan down the hallway into a bedroom loaded with crap and stinking of wookie. There, he attaches himself to his former master, nipping at his neck lightly. 

“Anakin, I hardly think this is appropriate.” Anakin snarls and licks up, causing Obi-Wan to shiver.

“I don’t particularly care right now, my love.” He whispers and Obi-Wan keens as Anakin presses his leg down against his groin in the most seductive manner. The sith grins maniacally until Obi-Wan gently untangles them, patting Anakin’s shoulder reassuringly. Anakin pulls him into another ferocious kiss before allowing Obi-Wan to fully separate for now.

“Your children are out there, Anakin. They're here and before they leave you, before this ship leaves hyperspace and this folly of peace turns to chaos you should talk to each of them. You may never get another chance like this, to do it when you're not fighting on opposite sides.” Obi-Wan attempts to reason with Anakin who looks like he’s listening. His body is rigid with tension and Obi-Wan knows Anakin doesn't plan to let any of them leave as anything other than a family. One that follows his rules. He doesn't argue with Obi-Wan however, turning to go find his daughter on the trash-pile ship they currently resided on.

 

 

Leia looks out the viewport, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. This was her and Luke’s first fight and she wasn't sure how to get through it. She feels the cushion move and indent next to her and looks up to find Vader staring at her.

“Princess Leia.” He acknowledges and Leia wants to be sick.

“I haven’t been Princess Leia Organa or Leia Vader, Imperial Princess, since I was four. I am Leia Skywalker and I am a Jedi.” His teeth clench and he looks at his child through blue eyes with flecks of yellow breaking through.

“Skywalker…” She feels Luke perk in the force, clearly sensing something before the negative feelings attached to the name for Vader swarm the room. 

“Yes, Skywalker. My brother and I take the name of the man who conceived us, who loved our mother and hopefully us. Not whatever it is you've become.” Vader stiffens, the yellow quickly returning. Good, she thinks, I don't want to be reminded of Luke every time I look into your deceiving eyes. 

“I am still that man. I loved your mother more than anything,” he pauses for a moment, guilt seeping into his features, “at the time.” Leia doesn't know what the guilt represents. Could it be he loves someone more now? That he feels by saying that he’s betraying another? 

“You may have loved her, but it wasn't enough to stop you from killing innocents! Killing her! Obi-Wan may have hidden it but I arrived to Yoda knowing just what you were! I know what he’s hidden from Luke because you took the blessing of ignorance from me when you murdered my adoptive father in front of me when I was four!” Father and daughter glare at each other again and Vader feels the dark side urging him to reach for her throat, to end her insolence. The urge horrifies him, but it’s not enough to keep his anger at bay. 

“You know nothing, girl! You think that I didn't love enough but you're wrong, I loved too much! It destroyed everything!” They are so engaged with each other that they don't realize they have an audience. Obi-Wan waits behind Vader while Luke waits behind his sister, eyes softened with understanding. Their eyes meet softly and they agree with a small nod.

“Well then maybe you should've just died in the war and saved everyone so much pain!” Daughter spits out, unknowingly wounding the Father with her words.

“Certainly would've saved me the disappointment of having you as a child!” Father screams, anger fully unleashed. The saviors, keepers of the peace, step in, separating their flames from each other before their heat consumes everything. Vader grips Obi-Wan tightly, taking comfort in his presence as Leia launches into her brothers waiting arms. She’s mumbling apologies but Luke just shushes her, telling her that it’s okay. He leads a crying Leia back towards the cockpit where Han, Chewie, and the droids all wait. Obi-Wan knows a thing or two about Skywalker’s and Amidala’s- enough to know which offspring inherited their mother’s calm need for diplomacy and justice and who has their father’s fiery attitude and anger. He cradles Anakin the best he can in his arms, not knowing if there is any hope for a relationship between Vader and his daughter, the one he has hurt so thoroughly. 

 

 

“Luke, Lukey Pookie, I am so sorry.” His twin sobs in his arms and Luke knows now why she kept the secret for so long. She had wanted to keep him safe from everything that had scarred her as a youngling. Fondness for his sibling radiates and across the ship Vader wonders if this is what it’s usually like around the twins. Leia leading with passion and Luke being fond but willing to do whats right. Obi-Wan is running his fingers through Anakin’s now short hair, much different from the shoulder length he sported through the rise of the empire. He has a beard like Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan reminisces on when they were young Jedi who fought for peace. It filled him with such sadness. Luke and Leia finally separate and Luke smiles at his distraught sister.

“Leia, It’s okay, I understand now. He never should have made you witness such atrocities and I get why you kept it from me. You shouldn't have, I had the right to know too, but I understand.” She nods, finally getting through her crying stage of the debacle and Luke knows she should be alone for a while. He leaves her with a kiss on the head. He’s forgiven his sister, they are better together than apart. 

Sensing Luke’s departure from Leia, Vader stands and leaves the room leaving a very worried Obi-Wan in his wake. he knows when things have calmed down the children will wonder why Obi-Wan and Anakin are so close and it’s a question he will feel ashamed to answer. 

 

 

“What is your name?” The Dark Lord asks and Luke stiffens.

“You don't know my name?” There’s a half grin on the boy’s face from where he’s looking over his shoulder at his father. 

“I have perhaps heard it, but I would like to hear it from you.” Vader thinks this is silly but it’s a whim he cant seem to push away.

“Luke Skywalker.” The finality in his tone confuses Vader. His name means something to him, Vader realizes and can only think of why that must be.

“Where are you from?” He asks and Luke smiles wider before letting it drop from his face. 

“I was given to my Aunt and Uncle and raised until the age of four on Tatooine. Names mean something there.” Anakin realizes too well. He also is filled with rage at his son being brought to such a place to be raised. 

“I know about Tatooine.” Luke turns to face his father completely. 

“I imagine you would, being a former slave who won his freedom in a pod race native to our home planet.” Luke is smiling softly again and Vader is startled to see such smile on features that look so much like his own. It’s undeniably her smile, the one Padmé would give him in the light of dawn when she would first awaken or when he would kiss her softly. It’s gentle and kind and Vader doesn't deserve it. 

“How do you know-“

“Through extensive meditation I was able to remember where I’d heard the name Anakin Skywalker before. You were Tatooine legend, people sold models of your pod racer as children’s toys. It was one of my favorites. I never thought at such a young age you would be my father.” Anakin looks into his son’s eyes and feels longing. His daughter was like him and it enraged him to no end, she knew every correct button to push. His son was like his late wife; a light in the dark of his soul. 

“Im sorry.” Vader finds himself confessing and Luke nods.

“You should be. If you weren't my father I’d cut you down where you stand for hurting Leia the way you have.” Vader bristles at the mention of his daughter again.

“I treated her well.”

“I imagine killing her adoptive father in front of her and locking her in a room for months isn't what a normal sentient being would consider “treated well,” Father.” His son’s brutal honesty startles him a bit. 

“I-“

“Listen,” Vader is listening, of course he is, “my sister and I are extremely close. I don't know you the way she does but I know about Darth Vader and…” His son takes a deep breath, “If you are truly that monster inside and out then she and I have no business with you.” 

Just like that, his son leaves to go rejoin his daughter in the cockpit and Vader is shocked at the sadness- not anger, that resonates through him at his son’s words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah! another chapter up relatively quickly! what do you guys think?


	7. Goodbye Anakin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the plot thickens and Obi-Wan is full of angst.

“I’m not sure what it is exactly he means. I am Darth Vader, there is no disputing it!” Obi-Wan looks at Anakin like he’s the craziest person he’s ever met.

“You are Anakin Skywalker. Just remember that, they only want to know a man beyond the killing machine you’ve become,” blue eyes watch him carefully and Obi-Wan has to word this right otherwise it could be chaos, “They want to know you the way that I know you.” Anakin’s eyes have softened considerably and he’s looking at the man he loves. 

“You know that that’s impossible. Anakin Skywalker died long ago, that name has no meaning to me.” He sees how much it hurts Obi-Wan but he can’t care-wont care.

“Then their father is truly dead.” It hurts more than before when Luke left. It hurts so much Vader wants to reach inside his own chest and rip out whatever remains of his heart. Obi-Wan swiftly walks out but Anakin still sees the hurt and pain within his old master’s eyes. Alone now, Anakin reaches out in the direction of his love’s departure.

“Im right here.” He whispers but clamps down on the sentiment as soon as it’s free. They wont understand, nobody ever could. The only way he could ever cope with what he’d done was to pretend he was someone else. He’s truly alone at the moment, no one is coming to see him of their own volition.

 

 

Obi-Wan enters the cockpit and slumps in a chair besides Luke and Leia. They look at him, questions alive in their eyes.

“Obi-Wan, are you alright?” Leia asks and places a hand on his knee. He looks up at her gratefully and places his on top of hers.

“Yes, dear one. I should be just fine.” She doesn't look like she believes him but to his surprise it’s the smuggler that scoffs.

“How are you all forgetting that this man spent over a decade locked up with a homicidal maniac as his only friend! Of course he’s not okay!” Han defends him to everyone’s surprise. Obi-Wan wants to interrupt that that’s not fair to Anakin, but he knows that it wouldn’t be an accepted opinion in the group. Luke watches everyone with serene eyes, waiting for the correct time to chime in. The smuggler- Han, Obi-Wan reminds himself, and Leia just start yelling over each other. Obi-Wan remembers the little girl he once watched over telling him she wanted to be a senator like her father, Bail and not anything like her father, Anakin. Fondness for the girl she once was and the girl she is fills him but he knows that with this temperament being a senator was probably not for his little Leia. He interrupts the arguing by holding up his hand. 

“While I was held captive, thank you Mr. Solo, I stayed willingly. Anakin and I have a complicated relationship that you may not understand but I want you to know that me being there with him was a necessary sacrifice for your continued safety.” Leia pales at the usage of the name Anakin and Luke looks up with wide eyes.

“You love him.” Luke blurts out and everyone turns to look at him with wide eyes.

“Yes, I love Anakin Skywalker, your father. But I love the two of you like you are my own children, and you will always come first.” Leia has tears in her eyes as her upper lip pulls into a sneer. Luke just inches closer to the man he’s always considered his father, hoping his presence will provide comfort. Force, he misses Yoda.  
“How can you love that monster?” She spits at him and he looks into very familiar anger and does what he does best, ignores it.

“Because he was once a man worthy of love, he earned it. My love belongs to him until the last star in this galaxy dies but know this, I do not love Darth Vader. I have never loved Darth Vader or what he has done. No, I don't think they are separate people but the man I love, the one who loves you, is buried in all of that hate. All I’ve ever wanted is to free him from it.” Leia looks defeated, indignant anger gone, lost sorrow replacing it. Luke has a more determined glint in his eyes and Obi-Wan knows he may have just made crucial progress. Han, of course, is still sitting there with his mouth wide open. Chewbacca closes it for him, earning a startled companion and a muttered “Thanks, Chewie.”

 

 

They’re quickly approaching the end of hyperspace and Luke and Leia have a plan to get out of this alive, sort of… It’s a work in progress. Leia had suggested shooting Vader out of an airlock but Luke hadn't appreciated it. Now, they were pacing back forth on the bridge, praying to the force that solution falls into their hands before their forced to return to the death stay with their father simply because they can't lead him to the rebel base Artoo is leading them to with some sort of plans. Obi-Wan is thinking with them now though, and they had heard stories from Yoda about how he was one of the best strategists the order had ever known. Han supplies nothing but jokes and Leia is getting ready to strangle him.

“So three Jedi, two droids, a Sith Lord, a smuggler, and a wookie all walk onto a space freighter…” Luke is seriously trying not to laugh. He’s not sure his sister or father figure would appreciate it. They ponder until they realize it’s too late. Han overestimated and they've just arrived in a fleet of imperial ships. 

“Sithspit!” They hear Han yell as he scrambles for the cockpit but they're all looking at the looming Sith Lord in the entry. He stands rigidly and Luke wonders for a moment if his father will kill them all right here for his master. He realizes too late that his shields weren't properly in place when everyone flinches, including his father. Time seems to slow down when Vader lifts his comlink and presses the call button.

“Admiral.” He says calmly.

“L-Lord Vader? Where have you been? I mean- My Lord, we lost your location and did not know how else to proceed.” Anakin’s lips have lifted into a sneer that looks much too much like Leia’s for Luke to be comfortable.

“I would suggest, Admiral, that you disembark from your attack before you kill your superior.” Anakin’s eyes are yellow like they were when he fought his children on the death star and everyone is getting increasingly uncomfortable. 

“Y-Yes, right away, My Lord.” Vader looks at his family, a longing that perhaps only Obi-Wan catches present there before he barks another order. 

“Send a retrieval ship to collect me, the escaped prisoners will not be cause for panic any longer.” He finally looks at Obi-Wan in the eyes. This means one thing, that he will have to be separated from his rock, from the one person left who loves him. 

“Yes, My Lor-“ Anakin hangs up. Instantly, he is across the room and in Obi-Wan’s lap.

“My love, this may be goodbye.” Anakin says and a tear escapes. Obi-Wan catches it, a sad smile on his face.

“It doesn't have to be, you can come with us, Anakin.” At that, Anakin freezes. He presses a firm kiss to Obi-Wan’s forehead and moves forward off of his lap. The love hangs in the air between them, the twins feeling like they're intruding on a private moment before Anakin turns away. When he speaks he looks at Leia directly. Perhaps it is because he knows she likes him the least and will gladly leave him behind. Perhaps he senses himself in her and knows she will do what has to be done. It doesn't matter, she listens because she senses that this will be what keeps Luke safe.

“When the shuttle picks me up you will all have to be hiding and silent. They will take me and I will lead the fleet away, back towards their station before returning to the death star. Make sure you wait until all traces of imperials are gone before you take off towards your destination.” She’s nodding even as Luke yelps in indignation. Their father looks around at his family, the one he is giving up and they know that this isn't easy for him at all. Perhaps Obi-Wan is right and there is something there to save in the end. 

 

 

They all watch in shock as Vader leads the fleet away as promised, the ships taking off into hyperspace. They see the loss and sorrow in Obi-Wan’s eyes even as he tries to hide it. Luke places an arm around the older man, who sags against him gratefully. Goodbye, my Obi-Wan, he hears trickle across his bind before distance overtakes them and he can only slightly feel Anakin on the other end. I love you, he sends desperately, hoping Anakin knows.

Slowly, once they're sure they're in the clear, Han directs the ship towards Yavin where Artoo needs to deposit the plans to the rebel alliance. They all sit back together, knowing in their hearts that Darth Vader just saved them and that maybe, the light and the dark aren't as black and white as they want you to perceive them to be.

 

 

Yavin is large outside the moon’s atmosphere, a big half red circle in the sky. The ship had arrived hours ago after Han and Luke found the tracking device and ripped it out. They were currently being debriefed on the situation and the Jedi had volunteered to fight in the battle to destroy the death star. Having the former General Kenobi of the Galactic Republic certainly helped their reputation among the rebels as well as their status as Jedi. Luke and Leia are to pilot fighters in the red squadron and the Falcon will handle stragglers in a late arrival tactic. Obi-Wan opts to fly with Han and Chewbacca due to his old age but really, he cant handle the thought of actively destroying Anakin.

He knows the children haven't thought about it, haven't thought about how this puts them straight into enemy position for their father. He watches them greet their fellow red squadron flyers and his heart melts with the warmth of the moment. They should've had friends, should've had lives full of love, support, and happiness and yet they'd been shipped off into exile on Dagobah with no one but Yoda and each other for comfort. Anger wells low in his chest and he shoves it away. It is in fact, the fault of many that this occurred. Anakin cannot take all of it for himself, even if the children chose to place it with him. 

The camaraderie warms his heart but the loss he may face chills it and he sits off in a corner, not wanting to face anything. He knows he must go wish the children luck though, the chance to lose them is equally as prevalent as his chance to lose his Ani. He stands and makes his way down to the hangar to wish his babies the best of luck in destroying the metal death machine that so thoroughly disgusts any moral based sentient. Anakin included. 

 

 

“Good luck, dear ones. May the force be with you.” He has a Skywalker under each arm and their excitement flows through their bonds easily. Obi-Wan smiles and he knows that this is something they have to do, that attachment cannot hold him back from doing the right thing. The alarm sounds and his children detach from him, Leia placing a kiss to his cheek and Luke squeezing fast before rushing off. They hop into fighters and he watches them follow their fellow squadron take off into space. They are streaks amongst the stars when he feels wetness on his cheeks. Wiping them away he faces the sky again.

“May the force be with us all.” He walks off towards Han, Chewbacca, and the Millennium Falcon, resolved in his duty to do his part to keep the children safe and to destroy the thing which can destroy the galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHH HE LET THEM GO ONLY FOR THEM TO TURN AROUND AND FIGHT HIM OH NO! anyway, tell me what you think of how the story is progressing and just a question; who is everyones favorite character in star wars??


	8. THE BATTLE OF YAVIN 0BBY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (say that title in hamilton style) anyway its the battle of yavin and luke and leia save the day again!

“Red 5 to Red 7, do you copy?” Luke says into the helmet as he streaks among the stars. A giddy grin spreads across his face and even though he may be flying to his death this is completely worth it. The beauty of flying a one-man ship is knowing you're in complete control and man was Luke in control. He hears the crackling near his ear and his grin widens.

“Loud and clear, Luke!” His sister’s voice sounds in his ear and he bites down on the urge to giggle. After hundreds of hours back on Dagobah playing pretend with his sister that they were pilots or smugglers or bounty hunters or on the run. His best friend is by his side right now and he feels invincible. He knows they are flying to potentially save the galaxy and his excitement is tangible. Through their bond, he can feel Leia’s awe at the opportunity and the humble acceptance of her task at hand. He feels hidden excitement there too though and pushes the hyperdrive to send his X-Wing flying into hyperspace with the rest of the squadron.

 

 

Leia knows more than a girl her age should. She’s aware of the fact that Luke is brimming with excitement at the chance to be the hero, to be a real Jedi and save sentient beings. She feels it too, the anticipation and exhilaration that comes with being trusted with a task such as this. Leia knows she’s about to save the galaxy potentially if she’s successful but she’s also very aware of what that means. It means the death of everyone aboard the death star. It means the strong possibility of losing Luke or Obi-Wan or Han or Chewie in battle. It means perhaps killing her father. Luke, in his excitement, has no doubt not thought about the consequences behind destroying a mass weapon such as this. When she hears Luke’s voice though she’s reminded of what it truly means to be a Jedi.

“Red 5 to Red 7, do you copy?” He says to her and she laughs a little, reminded of all their “adventures” as children. Luke is hope embodied, a bright beacon of happiness and love. His voice alone brings forth a new hope within her. Perhaps she can save everyone and still be a Jedi. There is a warning in the force again, one that reminds her that to be a Jedi means letting a few go to protect the majority. Leia knows more than a girl her age should and she knows, even though it hurts her more than anything else, that to do whats right sometimes comes at a personal cost. 

“Loud and clear, Luke!” She responds as she feels resolve seep into her bones. She has to do whats right for all the wrongs her family, her father has committed. She sends her ship into hyperdrive with the rest of Red Squadron and knows she may never see her family again.

 

 

The Rebel Alliance attacks full throttle, flying towards the death star with everything they've got. Gold Squadron hits first, going in for the kill. Tie fighters have been dispatched and the rest of the pilots are busy taking down the fighters so they are out of the way of the crew when they go in for the shot that will hopefully destroy the monstrosity in front of them. Luke and Leia are strongly shielding, they don't want any force sensitives on board to discover them. They do it unconsciously, a skill Yoda taught them long ago enforced by habit. Tie Fighters are being blast to pieces and they can occasionally hear the whoops and cheers of victory from alliance members. Leia watches Luke constantly from the corner of her eyes as he spins and ducks and flies rather recklessly. A part of her wants to strangle him but another part feels oddly fond of the actions, a small grin on her face. It’s only when she’s almost blown away that she knows she has to trust Luke to look after himself and execrates behind a tie fighter chasing Red 2- Wedge, she reminds herself. After over a decade of only socializing with Yoda, Luke, and very rarely Obi-Wan se found remembering names to be quite hard. She aims and shoots, taking the fighter right out of the sky. 

“Thanks Kiddo, I owe you one.” She hears Wedge through her helmet and smiles. She could get used to the life of being a pilot in the rebel alliance. 

Luke is having the time of his life. He had always loved flying the few times Yoda had let him in atmosphere but there was nothing like flying amongst the stars. He can feel vague disapproval from Leia but shoves it away, knowing this may be his only chance to experience this. He takes down fighter after fighter, letting out cheers with his fellow pilots. A few are very vocal, shouting extremities and laughing in the face of their enemies. He relishes in the feeling of battle and decides its like being free. Normally so calm and collected, flying opens parts of him he’d never discovered before and he wonders if this feeling is what its like to be a normal teenager. If it is, he feels he’s been robbed of his time for fun. 

 

 

Vader knows Tarkin is an idiot for believing in his battle station more than the force. The arrogance in such an assumption is arguably murder worthy and Vader knows that even if they’re successful in this he’ll probably end up choking Tarkin. He knows the Emperor would not be pleased and yet he cant find it in himself to care. He’s just left his love and his children behind in space to head to who knows where. The farthest place they can get from him more than likely. The thought is a tear worthy one. Anakin shakes his head and continues on his way, lifting his wrist to his mouth. The rebels appear out of hyperspace and Vader knows that despite Tarkin’s confidence the only way to ensure the safety of the weapon is to destroy all those who seek to destroy it.

“Black 1.” He waits for a response.

“Yes, My Lord?”

“Prep the Squadron for take off, the defense of the death star is in jeopardy.” He hears the assent and takes off towards the hangar where his Tie Advanced waits for him. He’s looking forward to destroying some rebels, maybe it will take his mind off the sadness gripping his heart due to the absence of what he’d only known briefly.

 

 

The first group from Gold Squadron had been destroyed, killed off by a trio of strange looking Tie Fighters. They all listen as Red Leader says he will lead the next attack. He takes Red 4 and Red 6 and Luke feels in his gut that there is something off with those Tie Fighters in the trench. The middle one is oddly distinctive and more than likely has better piloting skills than a normal imperial pilot. His eyes narrow and he feels like he cant go after it for some reason. Luke destroys lingering Tie Fighters with his fellow Squadron members including Leia. There’s none left and so they wait for news from Red Leader. When it becomes clear that they are in danger they all take of into the trench behind him. The four remaining X-Wings lock positions and take off into the trench. They are informed of the destruction of their fellow Squadron members and punch it, knowing it is up to them. What was once a sky full of beams of light aimed at enemies is now calm and Leia cant help but wonder if it’s the calm before the storm.

 

 

Vader and his two black advanced trail after the trio of rebel pilots. After destroying the first group easily he had been vaguely disappointed with the lack of challenge he had faced. His mind had only briefly been distracted throughout the encounter and honestly, if this was the best the rebel alliance could do they should just give up already. Its when the next trio of pilots come in that Vader gives himself over to the force, taking one of them out almost immediately. Too easy, he sneers as he trails after the other pilots almost lazily. He shoots the second one out of the sky easily as well, focusing all of his attention on the one in the middle as he tries to keep his mind off of his current problems. As they get closer to what Vader assumes is the destination, the pilot slows down, giving Vader ample time to fit the fighter in his line of fire. He watches as the pilot shoots a missile before blowing him up as well. He feels vindicated in that moment, knowing that he just destroyed someone who stood against him and his goals. He’s taken back into his days as a Jedi when revenge was forbidden. 

“I killed them! They're like animals, so I slaughtered them like animals!” ‘They said the Jedi were bad so I hit them.” “The other padawans called me a slave, Obi-Wan! A slave! Why am I not allowed to strike back?! On Tatooine-“ But every time he had he'd been chastised by Obi-Wan or another who thought his actions deplorable. His anger and frustration grows as he reminisces and suddenly he’s more than ready for a fight. A new group of Rebel pilots enters the trench and his crew gets behind the four X-Wings, ready to take these ones out as well. He shoots and they expertly dodge. Vader smirks in his fighter. Finally he thinks, a challenge. 

 

 

Luke, Leia, Wedge, and Biggs fly full speed ahead in the trench. They’re not even fully immersed when the other Ties catch up with them, pulling in rank behind them. The twins are thrown into the front while Biggs and Wedge guard from behind. In their bond, Luke and Leia send each other reassurances and I love you’s as they go straight into the eye of the storm. They feel when Biggs dies, a rip in the force that saddens them deeply. They fly on, Wedge playing bodyguard in the back even as Leia hands back more, allowing Luke to take center stage. 

Wedge loses a vital part of his left wing and lifts out of the trench, muttering apologies to the twins.

“Get out of here, Wedge. You cant do anything else and you're better off alive.” Leia says and Luke is shocked because out of both of them he’d always assumed he’d be the leader of the two. It was apparently not the case.

“Thanks, Kiddo.” He hears Wedge say to Leia and huh, Kiddo is a new nickname for her. Good for his twin, go twin!

“You ready for this?” Luke asks his twin and he knows now that they may die here together. Its a pressing, awful thought and he swallows the lump that appears in his throat.

“No, but theres no time like the present.” She says and he sports a small grin at the phrase. It wasn't like Leia at all to feel this way and he decides that if they survive he wants to see more of it. 

“Leia, listen, if this is it, I want you to know-“ she cuts him off.

“No, Luke. We cant say goodbye because then we’ve already given up. We can do this.” Leia says and the twins swirl around in the air. The ties are closing in when suddenly a Tie explodes from behind them. Leia flies straight up and over and lands behind the remaining tie fighters. She’s about to take them out when she feels a ripple in the force. The tie fighter to the far left suddenly flies into the one in the center, throwing the center one out into wild space. Leia blasts the other one as the Millennium Falcon flies over their heads and Luke cheers, flying towards the hole in the defense. Use the force, a voice inside his head instructs and he closes his eyes before shooting. He flies out, Leia and the Falcon behind him as the death star explodes. 

 

 

Vader is floating aimlessly in space, going over the events of what just occurred. Obi-Wan had saved his life, of that he had no doubt. He had seen the freighter ship pass by as he flew out of dodge, seconds before the death str blew up. He knew know that it had been Luke and Leia in the X-Wings and that his children destroyed the mass machine. A smug smile comes over his face and he only wishes Tarkin was alive to see that the force was indeed more powerful than technology. He knows the Emperor will be very angry but he cant help but feel proud of his kids. They had saved the galaxy just like he and Obi-Wan did once upon a time. He’d deal with the Emperor later, first he had to get to safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOP! thanks for reading!


	9. Ekkreth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh boy are we into it now guys.

“We did it!” Han shouts as he lifts Luke into a hug. Luke is blushing and Leia is smirking at them as Obi-Wan exits the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca and Threepio. Leia launches herself at Obi-Wan who catches her in open arms.

“Oh Leia, I’m so happy you're safe.” He breaths in her hair and she lets a few happy tears fall on his Jedi robes. They stay in the embrace before she turns to face Chewbacca, who envelops her in hairy, caring arms. They all politely ignore Luke and Han making out in the corner. Luke and Leia will reunite later and she knows he needs this moment. She runs over to Wedge who is getting bandaged and hugs him.

“Thanks, Kiddo. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't be alive.” Leia blushes and smiles up at the pilot who grins back at her. Obi-Wan watches his children with fond admiration. They were heroes now, like both Anakin and himself. Perhaps they would receive nicknames the way they had during the Clone Wars. He could more than see a little Hero With No Fear in both children and they were both fine Negotiators. He likes to think he and Padmé win out in terms of inherited traits when it comes to the twins. 

He sees Luke and Han break away in the corner of his eye before he has his arms full of bubbly boy, still high off his first kiss. Obi-Wan laughs with him and his smile reaches his eyes for the first time that he can remember. He’s so proud of his children, so so proud. He also has the relief that he saved Anakin from certain death. There was no way for the children or Vader to know who it was they were fighting but Obi-Wan had known. He had seen that Tie Advanced far too many times to pretend ignorance and had sent the other pilot spiraling into Vader to get him out of harms way and to stop harm from coming to Luke and Leia. 

Luke crushes his father in his arms, too happy to be careful before launching off and barreling across the room to his sister who is still talking to Wedge. So much for considerate siblings, Obi-Wan thinks to himself. Leia had given Luke his moment but Luke was going to rob her of her own. He rolls his eyes fondly. Only the Skywalker twins could be s eccentric and yet completely sound in their own bodies. 

 

 

Vader steps foot on Tatooine and instantly feels the ghosts of familiar force signatures, some more recent then others. Of course, he curses mentally, I just had to crash on the one planet I never wanted to see again. The twin’s are newer but Vader knows this is probably where they met their smuggler friend Han and decides to follow Obi-Wan’s much older presence first. He walks through the desert that is far too familiar for comfort before reaching the Jundland wastes. Here, Obi-Wan’s presence is one of the few that have ever passed through and it’s stronger here, as if Obi-Wan spent a lot of time here. Soon he happens upon a homestead that is so desolate and sad that it seems to attack Vader, to blame him. You did this! You killed her! You killed all of them, everyone I ever loved! You were my brother, my partner, I loved you! The accusations seem to drown him before he throws his shields up, panting for air. This is it. This is where Obi-Wan had hidden after Mustafar. Vader feels hurt and betrayal climbing up his throat but he swallows it. Tatooine, of course that sneaky sithspawn came to kriffing Tatooine. The one planet he knew Anakin would never go again. Vader feels so stupid and humiliated for not realizing it all those years ago. 

He collapses on the ground near a chest and nearly weeps. Something inside of the chest calls to him and he knows that Obi-Wan had owned very little. Opening it, he finds the lightsaber he had lost on mustafar to Obi-Wan before his former master knocked him unconscious and ran, leaving him on a hill away from the lava. He looks at it in pain, remembering the atrocities that he committed with this and the heroics as well. It had been his companion throughout the war, had been by his side during what is pathetically the best time of his life. He had Padmé, he had Ahsoka, and he had Obi-Wan in that time. Not to mention Rex and Artoo who were also chloe to him. He had even thought Palpatine was his friend and he honestly preferred when the man was pretending to care rather than the tyrannical master he had become to him. 

He lights the saber, blue plasma illuminating the space around him as he steadies his breathing. He has the faint trail of his son to follow next and honestly, staying here where Obi-Wan’s rage and grief is so potent that it physically hurts. The plasma dissipates as he shuts the saber off and clips it to his belt before exiting the homestead. Vader doesn't think about what it means that he kept it instead of destroying it on sight. The twin suns are still high in the sky as he makes his way, following the faint thread of Luke’s force signature towards a familiar home. 

 

 

Leia and Luke have both been named Commander Skywalker in the Rebel Alliance which is just confusing. Luke has been given his own Squadron while Leia is ordering more ground raids. She will be a General soon and Obi-Wan is not looking forward to all of the flashbacks he's going to receive due to hearing General Skywalker again, no matter how proud he is of his little girl. His own title of General has been returned to him, even though he absolutely doesn't want it. Han is a Captain now and Obi-Wan ignores how he and Luke sneak off often and how they ogle each other in meetings, he doesn't need such indecent images of his son in his mind. He knows Luke is trying to be incognito about his relationship but it just seems to be another thing he inherited from Anakin: being bad at hiding his love life from Obi-Wan. At least Leia is better at it. He thinks. He’s not sure if she and Wedge are a thing or not at this point and honestly he likes it better that way. That bliss lasts until Leia meets Ahsoka and honestly, Obi-Wan has never gotten such a headache. 

When Fulcrum meets the Skywalker twins she's the happiest she's been in years. They smile at her and talk and laugh and she sees so much of Anakin in them she wants to cry. They're little bundles of Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan that she wants to hold on to so they are never tainted. Obi-Wan doesn't bother reminding her that they are in fact, nineteen. As it turns out, he doesn't need to because Leia does it all on her own. The next day, Obi-Wan finds Leia shamelessly flirting with who she knows as Fulcrum and not Ahsoka Tano. Obi-Wan is thoroughly scandalized.

“Leia Skywalker you stop hitting on your Aunt Ahsoka right now or I swear on the Jedi Code that-“ He doesn't even get to finish his threat before his daughter shrieks in horror, hiding her face in embarrassment. 

“Oh force, I’m never going to live this down!” It’s then that Obi-Wan realizes why normal teenagers always react poorly to their parents. he has single handedly just embarrassed his daughter beyond recognition. She's stuttering and blushing and not at all behaving like normal. Ahsoka, luckily, just laughs it off. 

“It’s okay, Skygirl, I’m honestly flattered,” she pulls Leia into a hug, “And hey, if you ever need advice on how to hit on girls, Im always a call away for you.” Just like that the problem disappears and even though he knows Leia is still embarrassed, her and Ahsoka get along fantastically. Obi-Wan’s headache doesn't lessen as he goes to his chambers and drinks three glasses of whiskey. 

 

 

Vader arrives at the Lars’ home at sunset. The place is just as he remembers it only now there are the charred remains of his family and the place is thoroughly burnt. He’s horrified, knowing now what had occurred. He remembers giving the orders to burn down the home of the suspected droid harborers on Tatooine when the plans to the death star had been stolen but he hadn't ever dreamed that… There are tears spilling down his cheeks. All the pain, the misery he's caused to his loved ones! To Obi-Wan, to Padmé, to his children, to Ahsoka, to his family! He slumps in the sand, ignoring the annoying grains that seemingly attack his flesh.

“What have I done?” He screams towards the open sky. The tears continue to fall as he hauls himself to his mother’s grave and collapses there, sobbing out apologies. Anakin Skywalker leaves his mother’s grave at dawn to explore the home he once stayed at with Padmé. He sees long forgotten possessions but it’s clear the place was robbed long ago. The remains of a nursery remind him of why he came here in the first place and he realizes that this is where Obi-Wan had placed Luke, with his family. Tears threaten to spill again but he keeps it together, moving to the crib he knows his son must have slept in until he was about four and Obi-Wan took them to Yoda. It’s at that that Anakin decides to leave. He’s hurt enough people to know he wouldn't have been welcome if his stepbrother was alive to say anything about it.

Hours later, he’s leaving Mos Eisley with rebel com codes and a new ship. He waits until he’s out in wild space before he forces himself to do what he's going to before he talks himself out of it and returns to the Emperor on Coruscant. He pins in the code for Fulcrum, a highly sought after rebel agent who's known for being able to take care of herself. He hears the connection.

“Fulcrum,” a familiar voice says through the machine, “who is this and how did you get this signal?” Anakin takes a deep breath before answering.

“Fulcrum, this is Ekkreth and Im seeking asylum among the rebel alliance.” 

 

 

Obi-Wan looks at Ahsoka who shrugs when she receives a com from an unidentified signal. Suddenly, she stops being the girl he knows and loves and becomes Fulcrum, rebel agent.

“Fulcrum,” she identifies herself first, a brave move, “who is this and how did you get this signal?” There’s a pause for a minute and no answer comes through. This causes panic to rise within Obi-Wan and Ahsoka who fear they have left the signal open long enough for an imperial to trace it. Before they hang up though, an answer crackles through her comlink.

“Fulcrum, this is Ekkreth and I’m seeking asylum among the rebel alliance.” They hear it but they don't quite believe it, eyes wide and fearful. They had heard that voice over com a million times in war and knew it like the back of their hands. The caller was one so unexpected, one so dangerous, that it left the pair unsure on how to proceed.

“Anakin?” She breathes and she can picture his wide, self assured grin on the other end, a staple of his confidence and ego. Obi-Wan has stilled almost completely, not moving. His love on the other end is putting everything at risk. He knows they have a choice to make and it all revolves around how much they trust the man who used to go by Anakin Skywalker. 

“It’s me, Snips. Miss me?” He says and Obi-Wan hears it too, hears the shadows of the man they both love in their own way. Ashoka looks at him and Obi-Wan knows that he has the authority to make this decision as a general. His breathing slows and he prays the force forgives him for what he is about to do. 

“Ekkreth,” he says into the com because if they're gonna allow Darth Vader into rebel territory he certainly cant go by either Anakin or Vader, “This is General Kenobi. I grant you asylum. Please make sure you are untraced before you land, I’ll send you the location.” He hears Anakin’s breath catch and can hear the surprise in it. Anakin didn't expect him and the children to join the rebel alliance then. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka exchange looks and she narrows his eyes, looking at him.

“You better be sure about this, Master.” She says to Obi-Wan who looks as conflicted as he feels. 

“Im not, but Im also not going to turn away a possibly strong ally.” he hears her snort and ignores it.

“Yes, Sir. You have my upmost thanks.” They hear the comlink cut off and look at each other. 

“What have we just done?” He says to her, not at all comforted by the shrug he earns in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully credit Ekkreth to the original person who thought of it. I love the concept of tatooine mythology and the story has stuck with me since i first heard it so i decided to incorporate it here. anyway, what did you guys think?


	10. Poor Ahsoka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ekkreth arrives and they hatch a plot to destroy darth shitious

“Who is Ekkreth?” Leia asks Ahsoka who has her head in her hands and her knees folded into her chest, leaning against a wall.

“Skygirl, as much as I enjoy your company, I actually need silence for a minute or I’m going to be kriffing sick.” Leia backs away from her Aunt and looks at Luke who stands in the doorway. Their father had left for the hangar bay a while back and when they asked Aunt Snips who exactly was coming to them, Ahsoka had broken down. There hadn't been tears but there had been dry heaves and fearful glances around. Every time she would look at the twins it would send her into another fit and so she had collapsed and curled into herself, hoping it would help her calm herself. 

Anakin kriffing Skywalker. The boy that had been her brother. The man that had tried to kill her on more than one occasion. The flashbacks wouldn't hit her often, her mental shields too strong but sometimes they did and when they did it was like an avalanche in her mind. The Clone Wars blur by and suddenly she's standing on the edge of a sewage tunnel and he’s behind her.

“I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka.” She hears it in her head and clutches tighter, willing tears to fall and relieve the tension but it never happens. She wishes she could forget everything that ever had to do with that sithspawn but she knows deep down that she doesn’t. Even when the yellow of his eyes burns her into awareness from millions of nightmares.

“Then you will die.” The finality. He would've done it, he would've killed her had the temple not exploded that day. He had tried before that and he tried harder after. So she knew now that any sentiment he held towards her were burnt when she clasped her padawan beads in his hand.

“I’m sorry Master, but I’m not coming back.” She remembers herself saying before she left the chamber, Obi-Wan watching with grief. She remembers sluggishly moving towards the temple stairs with her head down, her 16 year old self willing herself not to breakdown. She remembers hearing Anakin’s footsteps and wanting to sprint away before he could catch her.

“Ahsoka, wait!” She stopped near the stairs, knowing they had needed this. Knowing she couldn't leave before he said whatever he needs to. He’d never stop looking for her if she did.

“Why are you doing this?” He had the audacity to ask her, blue eyes full of sadness and grief. As if he were the one who had been betrayed, had been cast away from the only home he had ever known. 

“The council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself?” She remembers the doubt her teenage self had felt, unsure of her place in the world. Looking back, she wonders how she made it but she knows that she is a being of the force. 

“What about me? I believed in you, I stood by you!” That had hurt her. It stands aside vividly in the dialogue, reminding her of one of her former Master’s greatest flaws. Like always, he hadn't been thinking of her, he had been thinking of himself, of how this would hurt him. 

“I know you believe in me, Anakin and I'm grateful for that, but this isn't about you. I cant stay here any longer. Not now.” She turned away, looking towards the setting sun. The sun had set for her time at the temple. She had needed to be alone, to know she could rely on herself.

“The Jedi order is your life! You cant just throw it away like this! Ahsoka, you are making a mistake!” She hadn't turned to face him again, starting to inch her way towards what would be her final exit.

“Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own. Without the council… and without you.” 

The memories fade and Ahsoka is once again with Skygirl and Skyguy Jr. in the base. She’s on Hoth, a man who sounds like her brother who had long passed entering her safe haven. She braces herself, ruffling Luke’s hair and pulling Leia into a reassuring hug. She would be fine, she always was. Sometimes, the hauntings of war just wash over her, incapacitating her with agony and grief over what she had lost.

 

 

Ekkreth lands in the hangar bay, the only rebel waiting for him being his loving Obi-Wan.

“Hello, dear!” He says, happily scooping Obi-Wan into his arms who stiffens. Anakin lets him go, confusion etching into his features as he takes in Obi-Wan’s stoic state. He reminds Anakin too much of General Kenobi, of the man before Mustafar. Before they had become what they are now. He searches grey-blue eyes for a hint of sympathy or love but finds none. The galaxy could quake underneath Obi-Wan’s mask and Anakin is sure he wouldn't know, not with the way the man is looking at him.

“Obi-Wan what-“ He’s cut off, invisible fingers placing themselves over his mouth.

“Welcome, Ekkreth. I am General Kenobi, and I welcome you to Hoth.” Anakin gapes for a minute before realizing that Obi-Wan is protecting him. 

“Thank you for your kindness, General. I am forever grateful.” Anakin bows slightly, wanting to laugh at how ridiculous this is but he feels the bush of Obi-Wan’s presence along their bond and knows that this is important. Obi-Wan gives him the smile of a diplomat before gesturing to Anakin to follow him. Anakin just wants to hold his former master and never let go again but he settles for following General Kenobi to wherever he will try to hide him from the rebel leaders. 

 

 

Luke and Leia sit by Ahsoka who they've placed in one of the beds in the barracks. Her chest rises and falls normally, all signs of panic and distress eroded from her. They breathe easier and wonder to themselves if this is what it feels like to witness the aftershocks of war. Will they become like that? Broken to the point where they have to collapse to withhold their composure? Leia swears it isn't so but it lurks in the back of her mind that it is always a possibility. They try to probe their Aunt for the cause of her distress but her shields are solid. Her signature has calmed but they worry and so they vow to sit by her until she awakens. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin enter the corridor, both sensing the children. Anakin turns towards their direction and suddenly, Obi-Wan knows it’s too late. Blue and green plasma launch out of the room before blonde and brunette heads follow, completely on the defense. They stand before their parents, completely ready to fight before realization dawns on their faces.

“Obi-Wan?” Luke asks just as Leia blurts, “Vader?” The men look at each other before looking back at their children. Luke and Leia deactivate their weapons and look expectantly at the adults, eyebrows raised. 

“They get that from you,” Anakin says before smiling sheepishly at his children, attempting to explain his presence there with them. 

 

 

Luke looks up at his fathers, gaze unreadable. Leia has questions and frustration and they are completely readable. For twins, Anakin is realizing his children are very much their own individuals. Leia is brash, angry, passionate, and righteous where Luke is calm, serene, determined, and loyal. They contradict and complete each other. One a field and the other a rain storm. He feels grief at not having witnessed their growth as human beings but he knows them now and after everything he has done he is well aware it is more than he deserves. Leia is the spitting image of Padmé but he finds that instead of grief he feels fond sentiment. He had wronged his wife more than he would ever be able to rectify but to know that pieces of her live on in the children they created warms a part of him he thought forever frozen. His heart beats rapidly in his chest with the nerves of rejection but he sees understanding in their eyes. 

“We will help.” Luke says after staring at his sister pensively for a while. Anakin knows they are speaking through their bond. The decision to help their father return to the light and help take down the Empire is one that is not easily made for them and they cant have either of their fathers listening in on the conversation. This has nothing to do with Kenobi and Skywalker, it has to do with the twins. Its a twin decision and their shutting them out tells the elders that the children will only be doing this if both are on board without outside influence. Leia nods her assent. They are not sure if Vader-Anakin-Ekkreth can be trusted but if Obi-Wan trusts their safety in his presence, it must mean something. Obi-Wan would never put them directly in danger. The twins have agreed and that is the first step. Now, Anakin has to win the trust back of other individuals. The twins wont let him near her until she wakes up and honestly, he shouldn't be surprised. Luke and Leia are Skywalker’s. He knows what it means to be a Skywalker better than anyone else.

 

 

Ahsoka knows when Anakin comes to see her. The familiar thunderstorm in the force approaches her chambers and she wants to lock the door and tell him to never speak to her again. Something in her wont let her do that though and when the door opens she feels like a fourteen year old padawan greeting her new master in a war zone. Nerves and fear of rejection shooting through her. She wonders how he's dealing with this. Wonders why he even bothers coming here. He had almost killed her multiple times, is that why he’s here? Is he going to try to finish what he already started?

Anakin sees Ahsoka watching him with narrow eyes and he knows he deserves worse but he just wants to envelop her in a hug and apologize. Apologize for being the worst master she could've gotten. Apologize for abandoning her when it mattered most and blaming her for his problems. Apologize for almost killing her. Guilt eats at him and she looks at him unflinchingly. She is strong, she is brave and… she believes he is going to try and kill her. 

“Ahsoka.” He says and he sees it startle her, rip through her being as it did all those years ago in the Sith temple. She looks at him with big blue eyes brimming with tears and it reminds him of their youth. 

“Anakin?” She says and her voice cracks. His eyes are a bright sky blue color, the same as Luke’s and she knows that she's looking into the eyes of Anakin Skywalker, not Darth Vader. He cracks a small, sad grin and opens his arms in a sign of friendly surrender.

“I missed you, Snips.” He says and she feels anger welling in her chest.

“You don't get to do that! You don't get to march in here and say you've switched sides and expect everything to be okay! You tried to kill me! You tried to kill your kids! You've tried to kill Obi-Wan before! You killed Padmé! I don't care if you want redemption, you don't deserve it! You betrayed everyone who ever loved you and for what? Power? Don't touch me and leave me be.” She’s yelling and crying and she moves until he’s face to face with her anger, her blue eyes burning in the reflection of his own. He catches her wrists in his grip and she struggles before collapsing in his chest, a literal pile of tears. 

“Im sorry, Ahsoka. Im so so sorry.” She just sobs and they stand there for a long while, just Snips and Skyguy, attempting to begin to fix the rift between them.

 

 

Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, Ekkreth, and Ahsoka stand around the plans to the second death star, courtesy of Vader himself. They know that in order to kill the Emperor they must place their most powerful pawns in the throne room. There, in the heart of the rebellion, Darth Vader plans to overthrow the Empire. Perhaps he wont waste his second chance the way everyone expects him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan, Leia, and Luke all had their dramatic reunion with the big bad vader so it's only fair that ahsoka gets her own. Anyway, Anakin is finally attempting to abandon the dark! It won't be easy and we're not done yet but he's gonna try his best! let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	11. Anakin's Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is angsty and sad and really really hoping nobody notices these things. Especially Obi-Wan.

“I’m not actually sure how any of you plan to pull this off but I’m here for the ideas. Keep ‘em coming.” Han says, legs propped up on a console and hands behind his head. Luke sits next to him, casting the man a fond look much to Obi-Wan and Anakin’s discomfort. The two share quarters now and Anakin hasn't been informed. Obi-Wan hopes that for the safety of everyone he doesn't find out until both Luke and Han are far out of his reach. He watches as the twins think over the plans Vader had provided with fond amusement. Leia is biting her lip, eyebrows furrowed as Luke scrunches his face and licks his lips in concentration. Anakin is mumbling through the plan to Ahsoka again, trying to imagine scenarios where things go wrong. They're on limited time because for this to work they need Darth Vader’s clearance and Anakin cant get away from Sidious for too long. Obi-Wan just continues to watch, content with the people he’s surrounded by. They've lost so much as a collective but together maybe they can create a dysfunctional family.

 

 

The training Anakin watches his children partake in is stressful. Blue and green arc around and make contact, sizzling and cracking. He knows that he has fought in countless battles, for both sides of the conflict and yet seeing his children spar is increasingly terrifying. Luke almost nicks the side of Leia’s cheek with his green blade. Leia launches in a flurry of swift, aggressive strikes that push him backwards. The difference in colors surprises him but when he asks his daughter gives him a short look and huffs out a sigh before saying, “Luke modeled his after Yoda, I modeled mine after Obi-Wan.” Thats that then, he guesses.

“Luke you're aiming low, aim higher!” Leia taunts, shifting in Ataru easily, not allowing her brother to gain the upper hand. Being Yoda’s only students for almost twenty years, the twins are talented and knowledgable, easily slipping in and out of different lightsaber forms in the practice. The only one not present is Vaapad and Anakin wonders if Yoda couldn't bring himself to teach the lightsaber form of the late Mace Windu, or if he just didn't know enough of it to teach it. The Mace Windu that you killed, a voice inside his head that sounds more and more like Padmé as time goes on accuses and Anakin sighs. Yes, he had killed Mace WIndu and perhaps hundreds more of remaining Jedi. He knows the error of his ways now, he’s going to try and make up for his sins. Anakin looks towards his children and feels the guilt of knowing his death is impending and he wont get the chance to know them any better. He knows he deserves it though, after everything he's done, and he is ready to die on the second Death Star. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and the twins deserve to finally live in peace without the shadow of Darth Vader hanging over their heads. He feels the weight of the extra lightsaber on his hip, the one that he lost on Mustafar to Obi-Wan and he leaves the room, willing himself not to cry.

 

 

Obi-Wan lays next to him, the light of the lamp next to the bed casting shadows on his cheeks from his lashes. Anakin looks at him, really looks at him, and wonders how in the galaxy he got so lucky, how he ended up with the embodiment of the light and all thats good in the world in his arms. Anakin knows it would be selfish to wake him, to see the lighter blue-grey of his eyes pierce through Anakin’s very soul. He remembers hiding his face in shame as he kept Obi-Wan prisoner for so long when Obi-Wan would look at him, the light of the Imperial class ships sending the sorrow to him loud and clear. A message from Obi-Wan’s eyes to his very soul. 

“Hello, Ani. How was your day?” He remembers Obi-Wan asking him when he returned from his duel with Ahsoka on Malachor. He remembers force choking the red haired man and telling him to mind his own kriffing business. He had slammed the door before ripping clothes from Obi-Wan’s body, deciding he wanted the man right then and there. Obi-Wan hadn't stopped him, had gone along with it contentedly but Anakin cant help the bile the rises in his throat at the memories. He was sick, he was twisted, he had hurt the man who had always stood by him, who had always loved him. And he had done it more than once, never being able to look the man in the eyes.

The rise and fall of Obi-Wan’s chest entrances him, the very notion that Obi-Wan is alive and somewhat happy causing Anakin’s very heart to beat easier, his breathing more even than he can remember in a long time. The man wears different robes then he had for his time as Anakin’s prisoner. The alliance has outfitted him with bright blue robes, ones fitting of a general. Not a Jedi anymore, but a singular man on a mission for justice, General Kenobi takes on a new meaning for everyone around. He has no order, no reliance, he s just Obi-Wan Kenobi, defender of peace, master negotiator. He is Anakin’s soulmate, the one who always was the cold to his hot, the calm to his anger. They truly were two halves of the same warrior. Out of everyone he had hurt, he regrets Obi-Wan the most because the man deserved nothing but the best. 

Which is why Anakin knows he has to leave him. Has to leave them all. They deserve happy, healthy lives and with him standing over them, holding them back, it was never going to be possible. He had added a little piece to the plan, in Palpatine’s execution. When the man inevitably fell back on force lightning to destroy Anakin and Obi-Wan, Anakin would be able to enact Plan V, the one where when Ahsoka, Luke, and Leia bust in to help, he catches the Emperor in his distraction and jumps over the edge with him, effectively ending both their lives. The galaxy is saved, his family happy, and he is no longer in a place to do any damage to the life of another sentient being. 

 

 

The plan is to be carried out in one week’s time, the quartet staying behind waiting anxiously to pile on ships and head for the second death star to destroy the man that destroyed the galaxy. Anakin, having spent three lovely days with his family, has to leave once again to be Darth Vader so that they don't arouse suspicion. He looks around Obi-Wan’s chambers and then down at the black robes on the bed. They're still dirty and even though it’s disgusting, they left them that way so it was even slightly believable that Vader was stranded on Jakku for days and couldn't find a way off until the convenience of a helpful smuggler who had stopped by for gas. Vader would've killed for a ship but there weren't any, just the fledging junk pile that would probably grow into a business at some point.

He places the soiled clothes on his body and pulls up the hood, becoming the dark lord once more. He keeps the yellow from his eyes at the present time, not wanting to scare his family away with the trademark of the dark side. He looks in the mirror in disgust and wishes more than anything that he didn't have to leave. That he could stay with his family and never face the Emperor at all, hiding out on a reclusive planet with the people he loves. That wasn't his destiny though, and he knew that he owed everyone he’d ever wronged to fulfill the prophecy and bring balance to the force. 

Obi-Wan stands behind him, still and contemplative. His eyes are not guarded, they allow Anakin to peer into the depths of his soul like usual these days. So different than the situation of his youth where he could read nothing in the steel of Kenobi’s icy eyes, just the calm of a Jedi Knight. He turns to face the man he loves and knows what he has to do. He unclips the heavy weight from his belt, handing it back to it’s rightful owner.

“Is this what I think it is?” Obi-Wan asks, eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“Yeah. I found it on Tatooine. Its mine and I want to replace my red one with it but it’s too dangerous to bring onto the death star. Sidious would clearly recognize it.” Obi-Wan nods, taking it and clipping it to his own belt. 

“I will have it for you to chop off his kriffing head.” Anakin stifles a laugh into Obi-Wan’s robes as he drags the man into a hug. He moves his head upwards, placing small kisses up the length of Obi-Wan’s neck and jaw before reaching his lips, drawing the bearded man into a tender kiss. It’s full of all of the apologies he can never say in fear of revealing the plan of suicide. He pulls away softly, letting out a soft whimper. He knows he never deserved Obi-Wan but to have shared him with the galaxy is a blessing he will never take for granted again, however late he learned the lesson in life. 

“Why does this feel like a goodbye?” Obi-Wan asks, eyes still swimming prettily with tears. Because it is, a voice in Anakin’s head answers but it never reaches his lips. He smiles down at the shorter man instead, hoping his eyes bare his soul the way Obi-Wan’s always does. He hopes the man knows how terribly sorry he is for all of the pain that he’s caused, the destruction that lays on his shoulders.

“I don’t know, Old Man, but you know as soon as we get back here with a victory in our clutches I’m not letting you out of our room for three weeks.” He chuckles at the scandalized look on Obi-Wan’s face. It’s better this way, to cover up their goodbye with humor. He softens as Obi-Wan laughs, eyes crinkling at the edges. The man looks down, away from Anakin and he finds that he cannot bear it, not if this is truly goodbye.

“Hey, Obi-Wan?” He asks softly, searching for the icy eyes once more. 

“Yes, Anakin?” He says, looking up. No doubt looking for the answers he's sure Anakin isn't giving him. 

“I love you more than I have ever loved flying amongst the stars. More than the freedom I’ve obtained in my lifetime. More than my own being.” He is sincere and he hopes Obi-Wan knows that, knows that above all else Anakin has always loved him.

“I love you too.” Obi-Wan declares, the force ringing with the honesty in the words. Happiness rises in Anakin’s chest and knows that he needed this before he died. This time, Obi-Wan drags Anakin down into a kiss, one that whispers of the bond that they've created over the years. 

When Anakin leaves for the hangar, he leaves knowing he made peace with the one man he worried for after his death.

 

 

His ship flies amongst the very stars he always found home within and he feels, for the first time, lost in them. He has left his life behind, the one he had always wanted to rectify for his many mistakes. They had all met him in the hangar, both his children and Ahsoka giving him big hugs and wishes of good luck before he flew off into and out of the atmosphere. He’s made peace with his past. Now it’s time for Darth Vader to make peace with his present. Anakin Skywalker smiles towards the stars, knowing crystal clear for the first time that he is doing the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Anakin is so clueless. Like thats actually how things are gonna go down on the death star. Yeah, right. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter! The plot will move much more next chapter where they actually attack the death star.


	12. The End (not really)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> goodbyes are in order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is no excuse for this and i didn't plan it and I'm sorry

“Are you sure Skyguy can handle this?” Ahsoka questions, looking at Obi-Wan with wide eyes as they board the Millennium Falcon.

“Undoubtedly.” Obi-Wan replies, gripping her arm comfortingly. The battle of Hoth rages outside, a tragic but necessary part of the plan. If things go well, the Empire may fall within the day and Luke looks on through the viewport as they jet into space, wishing more than anything that he could help his squadron.

“Vader will be ready for us.” Leia reenforces, taking the place beside her twin at the viewport. They lock eyes, blue meeting brown in agreement. They know that they may all not make it out of this alive and this is their promise, their promise to each other, that they wont let their attachments get in the way of their mission.  
Their father had let down the galaxy more than enough for the entire Skywalker family and they owed it to themselves, to their legacy, to set things right.

As they board the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan grips both their hands and places kisses on their foreheads. He knows as much as they do that there is a good chance survival isn't in all of their cards, that more than likely he’ll lose someone he loves. But Obi-Wan is a Jedi, it is in his soul and his heart and his brain and being a Jedi means you do what needs to be done. So as his family boards the ship he knows that he has do. 

 

 

Vader feels the mental nudge from his children, the one telling him they are on their way off of Hoth. The battle had been orchestrated by them using the excuse that Vader, distraught over the loss of Obi-Wan, tracked him down with the rebels and is trying to recapture him. He was last notably seen on the infamous Falcon. 

“Soon, my children, soon we will set things right.” He says as he gets into his TIE Fighter, ready to steer the ship towards the Star Destroyer.

 

 

The Falcon flies through space until they feel a ripple in the Force, alerting them to Vader’s presence. 

“Buckle in, Kiddos, gotta make this bantha poodoo look real!” Han yells, throwing the ship to the side sending everyone flying to the left. Vader soars behind them, coming up on their side a bit. They dodge right, Vader flying above and keeping them low. Han cackles bit as he turns, appearing to try and dislodge the Falcon from the grip before the ship lurches and he’s stuck in a tractor beam. Han breathes out, looking at his sick looking companions. 

“Well, how was that?” He questions, Luke staring with wide eyes and Leia with angry ones. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka breathe in deep gulps of air.

“Why you half-witted, scruffy looking, nerfherder!” Leia attacks him, smacking at his arms. Luke pulls her back, eyes full of mirth.

“Hey keep your paws off of my fiancé.” Luke laughs, eyes widening as it settles in what exactly he just said. All eyes turn to him as he blushes a deep red color.

“Kriff Kid, way to spoil the surprise.” Han rolls his eyes, a fond grin on his face as he wraps an arm around the blonde. Ahsoka claps Obi-Wan on the back, reminding him to breathe. Leia wrenches herself from Luke’s grasp, looking at her twin in bewilderment.

“You’re engaged to the smuggler!?” Luke looks down, sheepish.

“It’s just… Neither of us know if we’re going to survive this and I wanted to know he knew I loved him before anything happened and so… I asked him to marry me?” Han stutters out, a small smile growing on Leia’s face.

“Well put, Nerfherder, welcome to the family.” Leia says and drags both Luke and Han into a big hug. Obi-Wan joins a minute after, followed by Ahsoka. 

“Hey, Your Worship, if we all make it through this how do you feel about planning a fall wedding for Luke and I?” She laughs and nods, the family enjoying one more moment before the ship docks and they know its time to move. 

 

 

Vader meets them there, a slight nod of the head the only indication that the plan is still on track and they have to be ready. He takes Obi-Wan roughly, throwing him around in his arms and pinning him there, placing “inhibitor” cuffs on him. He is to be taken to Coruscant to face the Emperor for trial being the last Jedi and all. The cuffs are fake replicas but they look real enough that no one should expect anything. 

“Take the other rebels to the detention block and place them in separate cells. I will have no disruptions in my interrogation of the Jedi and there is to be no entering their cells unless I am with you.” Vader barks at a squadron, the leader saluting.

“Yes, My Lord.” Luke, Leia, and Ahsoka feel their lightsabers, just in reach of their hands, but easily found with the force. They aren't placed in inhibitor cuffs. The storm troopers lead them away and they all open their minds to the force, waiting for the signal from Obi-Wan and Anakin to need them in the fight. Han follows, knowing that when the time comes, he and Leia will need to find and get the Falcon ready for take off on Coruscant. They're in for a long flight. 

 

 

Obi-Wan is lying with Vader in his quarters, stroking the hair out of his tan face. They are peaceful but they don't speak. They said their goodbyes on Hoth and now, now they have to just lay with each other. They have no dramatic goodbye this time, no fight on Mustafar, no escape, no children, just Obi-Wan and Anakin. Obi-Wan lifts his head and places it on Anakin’s chest. He grabs the mechanical hand and brings it towards his mouth, peppering small kisses to his circuitry. Obi-Wan nudges Anakin mentally, telling him silently all the things that have been said.

‘I love you…’

 

 

They land on Coruscant and Vader hauls Obi-Wan off the ship, throwing him to the ground. Obi-Wan grunts but stays still, allowing Vader to lift him once again and drag him across the hangar into the imperial palace. The twins, Ahsoka, and Han are dragged off into the detention center, where they quickly dispose of their guards and steal the suits. Dressed as storm troopers once again, the twins set out to help their fathers, again.

“Wow, it’s like we’ve come full circle.” Luke says and Leia snorts, pulling on the helmet. With a final nod and salute Luke and Ahsoka head towards the thrown room while Leia and Han head to the hangar to find the Falcon.

‘Goodbye brother…’

 

 

Palpatine grins a sickening grin down at Obi-Wan, who glares at him with all of the righteous fury he possesses.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi, the last great Jedi. Finally, the Sith will rule undisputed!” The annoying tone fills Anakin’s head and he holds back the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Im far from the last, Sidious, I cant hold that honor.” Obi-Wan chuckles as he’s blasted with force lightning. Anakin twitches but it goes unnoticed and Obi-Wan grits his teeth through the pain. Eventually it stops and he slumps further on the floor, breathing shallow. Anakin finally drops his signal, alerting Ahsoka and Luke to bide their time but be ready when the shields dropped. Snarling, he lifts his lightsaber, igniting it’s red blade.

“Lord Vader, after all this time, you betray me for your pet? He betrayed you, left you!” Sidious cackles, lightning sparking from his fingertips.

“The only one who betrayed me here is you, My Master.” His voice drips with poison over the title and his eyes are a deathly yellow. Anakin can feel Obi-Wan regaining strength behind him. 

“Deception is the way of the Sith, My Apprentice.” Palpatine laughs and laughs, never once igniting his blade. All of a sudden, Obi-Wan flips upward, blue blade flinging towards Palpatine quickly and efficiently. It is met With Palpatine’s red one, seemingly out of thin air. Chucking his lightsaber aside Vader force-grabs the remaining lightsaber on Obi-Wan’s belt, igniting the bright blue of Anakin Skywalker, the one lost to time. Palpatine’s eyes widen a tad before launching at them, full speed ad strength. 

The battle is long and it feels like hours later that Ahsoka and Luke bust into the room, fully clothed in storm trooper outfits. 

“Ah, the apprentice of the apprentice, how fitting and… who are you?” The Emperor levels Luke with an unimpressed look as Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to duel him. The Emperor roars in rage as Luke clips him on the arm with his green blade, giving him a scathing look.

“I’m Luke Skywalker.” He says with fire in his eyes as he strikes again.

“Aha, now I understand. So the child survived and here we are, my apprentice.” Sidious is still laughing, even after such a fight.

“Stop calling me that!” Anakin howls, unleashing a flurry of strikes. Sidious tsks, blocking Luke’s strikes and sending Ahsoka crashing against the wall. She doesn't get up but the force signature says she’s just unconscious so they leave her, twirling in an intricate dance of strikes and the force. It continues for awhile, Luke beginning to feel tired. The Sith Lord is too powerful, they need something… 

Time begins to slow. The world is crystal clear as Luke watches with perfect clarity as it occurs. He sees the lightsaber protruding from the man's chest. His icy grey eyes are wide as blood pours from his mouth, the cackles of the Sith Lord drawing out slow as molasses. Luke cant breathe. He see’s his father’s break down, the fury and rage overwhelm him as he strikes Palpatine down with renewed vigor. The Sith Lord’s head rolls to the floor as Obi-Wan’s body collapses, life draining from his eyes.

The world crashes down as his father throws himself down near the corpse of the man that deserved this least of all. Luke still can’t breathe. He feels when Leia realizes what she lost, what disappeared from the force. He feels his father’s despair, his soul being filled with the light of love for the man that gave his life to redeem him. The force significantly lightens, seemingly filled with Obi-Wan and all the good that he was and that he did. Luke sucks in a breath finally. The force is balanced and there is light but there is also pain. So much pain. Ahsoka is still unconscious and Luke almost thinks she shouldn't wake up. Nobody should have to learn about the death of a loved one second hand. Anakin is sobbing on the floor and Luke feels his breathing grow faster as the first sob racks through him. He’s lost his Dad, the one he was always sure of. Luke begins to cry and he doesn’t stop for a long time.

When Leia gets there it’s with tears in her eyes. She has Chewbacca, who joined them at the Falcon, get Ahsoka on the ship. She rushes over, kneeling besides Anakin and hauling her father into her lap. He scrunches her rob and sobs into her shoulder as he rubs his back soothingly. Han lifts Luke and hugs him tight.

“He’s… Han… He’s gone, Han!” Luke hiccups out. He shoves his face into his fiancé’s chest and cries like he never has before.

“I know, Kid… I know.”

It’s over, the galaxy is saved and everyone is safe. The Empire is defeated, the force is balanced. But… The Kenobi-no, the Skywalkers now, would never be the same. Anakin, Luke, and Leia each look at the man they had loved in different ways and they know they wont be okay for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, I'm very sorry. the story isn't over yet though.


	13. The End (really)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anakin says his goodbyes and welcomes a new member into his family.

Anakin Skywalker stands on the balcony, looking over the Coruscant skyline as he did so many times over the course of his life. It isn't the first time doing it without Obi-Wan but it feels like it. The ache in his chest doesn't ever subside now, the dragon vanquished in the worst of ways. Looking on, Luke and Leia feel like their intruding, but it’s time to go now, they have places to be. 

“Father…” Luke starts and Anakin looks up, tears swimming in his bright blue eyes. He looks towards his children and manages a small grin.

“I know, Luke. Im coming.” Anakin looks back at the place he and Obi-Wan had once called home, running his hands over the smooth marble of the Temple. It hurts to be here, but it would've hurt more not to see it one last time. It should've been him, it was supposed to be him and yet, here he was, about to lay his beloved to rest. Not so unlike the first funeral he had attended for Obi-Wan, during the Rako Hardeen undercover incident, he will stand with a torch in his hands. Flashbacks rack him as he enters the chambers he and Obi-Wan had once shared for a longtime, had bonded and formed a friendship, a brotherhood. He looks in the back, where they had kept their belongings, the few sacred things they had owned. He had avoided this place during his siege, hadn't been able to even think about Obi-Wan until Mustafar and even then…

He opens the box kept on the shelf, taking out the two padawan braids, the padawan beads, Qui-Gon’s old lightsaber, and a small rock. Choking back more sobs, Anakin takes the box with him. Obi-Wan is to be burned the way Jedi always are. He had never once swayed, never once denied the light. If anyone deserved to be mourned like a true Jedi it was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He leaves the chambers that had been abandoned decades ago. 

 

 

Yoda had flown in from Dagobah. Much on the brink of death, he hobbles into the pyre chamber to give one last Jedi the proper eulogy they deserve. He speaks to the children, both who are very happy and excited to see him.

“Master Yoda, you’ll never guess what I can do with the Force!” “Master Yoda, I missed you!” Master Yoda, Master Yoda, Master Yoda. Anakin supposes he should thank the troll for raising such great heroes out of his children and maybe he will, but not now. Not while his old, beady eyes stare at Anakin’s back like he wants to run his lightsaber through it. Which he probably does. He turns to leave, to put on the robes for the ceremony where he’ll say goodbye to the love of his life. 

“Skywalker.” Yoda calls and he stops, surprised that not only was he talking to him, he hadn't called him by his former Sith title.

“Skywalker, need to speak with you, I do.” Yoda says, hobbling over to Anakin.

“Yes, Master.”

“Loved you very much, he did. Want you to be sad, he would not. Not a youngling, are you any longer, Skywalker. Understand, maybe you will now, what it means to let go of your loved ones in the force.” Yoda had a knowing twinkle in his eye but his words rang true. Anakin forces a smile and looks Yoda in the eye for the first time since he slaughtered the Jedi. There is forgiveness in the old fossil’s eyes and Anakin knows that this is the first step. He enters the funeral room, ready to say goodbye. 

 

 

~Three Years Later~

Anakin is in his formal robes for the first time since the funeral and he’s trying his best not to be sad. This day is supposed to be happy after all. Next to him, his daughter is running around, fixing ties and flower arrangements and tracking down caterers. Anakin cracks a smile at this, the sight of his neurotic child doing her best to make sure Luke’s special day goes perfectly. Chewbacca stands next to him, huffing fondly at the antics of his daughter.

After the funeral, Anakin had headed back to Tatooine for a bit. He had informed his children of his location and kept an open line of communication but he needed to do some soul searching. There, on that dust bowl of a planet, in the old place Obi-Wan had lived, Anakin began to put his life back together. He practiced katas and he cooked more than he had since his time with Padmé. He stayed for about six months before loneliness got the best of him, sending him back into civilization with his children. There, he stayed with Han, Leia, and Luke on the Falcon as they freed slaves all over the Outer Rim. It was still lonely without Obi-Wan beside him but he was happy with the life he was living. He was finally accomplishing what he had set out to do when he was nine and freed from the hell of being a slave. 

Yoda passed away not long after Obi-Wan but he had taught the twins well and as much as they missed their fallen friends and family, they trusted that they were in a better place, that they had become a part of the living force. As Jedi, Luke and Leia remind him of some of the greats he knew in his time. Leia has the precision in lightsaber technique like Shaak Ti and the detached business side like Luminara Unduli. Luke formed bonds with everyone he met like Plo Koon and was playful and mischievous like Quinlan Vos. Anakin almost envies their ability to let go but he admires them for it instead, thankful that Obi-Wan looked for their best interest and kept them from him until it was time.

There are days when Anakin still falls apart, still can see the blood pouring out of Obi-Wan’s mouth in crystal finish as his life force leaves his body. There are days when Anakin cries, when he can only think of the man he had loved and failed most of all. There are days where he doesn't leave his bed and screams into his pillow about how unfair it is. About how it was supposed to have been him that died instead of his lovely Obi-Wan. There are those days, they still exist, but today is not one of them. 

In honor of the mother they never really got to know, Luke and Leia plan the wedding on Naboo, in the lake country near where their parents were married. The leaves have started to change colors and the lake reflects them, oranges and reds blending in with crystal blue. Luke is a vision dressed in a white suit, one his sister had picked out. He looks like an Angel, something a young Anakin Skywalker once referred to his mother as. Anakin smiles at his son in pure adoration. Chewbacca huffs fondly at the twins who are bickering over the flowers Luke is going to carry down the aisle. 

 

 

Anakin knocks on the door Han is hiding behind. The smuggler opens the door, looking at Anakin with bright, but worried eyes. 

“Anakin, come on in.” Han says, brushing the scruff out of his eyes. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Anakin and Han had struck a strange friendship over their appreciation for mechanics and after years working together, Anakin is more then prepared to let Han marry his son. 

“Yeah… Im good, I’m just wondering, you know. If I’m the best man for him. He’s just the greatest, You know? I don't want to mess this up.” Anakin smiles, patting Han on the shoulder.

“I know exactly how it feels, buddy. Trust me, you're the person Luke chose so you must be good enough. Believe in him and you’ll find believing in yourself is a lot easier because you don't want to let him down.” Anakin smiles and Han finally cracks one in return.

“Skywalker, I think you might be right. Thanks,” Han says, pulling Anakin into a half hug. He helps Han stand before tying the bow tie on his neck and brushing his shoulders, smoothing out the black suit jacket. 

 

 

As the music starts to play, Anakin raises an arm for Luke to take. He does with a smile, pink lips matching the Nabooian sunset that casts a warm glow over the whole scene. He leads his son down the aisle knowing that Obi-Wan would've been proud. He hands Luke off to Han with his blessings and sits in his spot, watching the ceremony. It goes beautifully, his eyes tearing up when they kiss at the end. 

Hours later, as the reception rages on, Anakin stands on a balcony yet again. The stars shine brightly as the newly weds dance as if no one is even here. He smiles for his children, smiles for himself. If not for his love he never would've seen this, never would've gotten the opportunity to see that life was actually worth living. So he smiles and he laughs and finally, he doesn't cry. Obi-Wan wouldn't want him to be sad.

“Well, you're right about that.” A Coruscanti accented voice answers his thought and he whips around, looking at the blue form of the love of his life.

“Obi-Wan?!” He gasps, tears in his eyes. So much for not crying.

“Yes, Anakin. It’s me.” Anakin reaches out, just for a moment thinking can feel something before he realizes his hand has gone straight through him.

“How?” He asks incredulously.

“I am what you might call a force ghost.” Anakin just kind of looks at him… through him.

“You didn't think to tell me this until now?” Obi-Wan shrugs, looking at him with a small smirk. 

“Well, it hadn't come up.” Anakin smiles, just happy Obi-Wan has returned to him in even the smallest of ways.

“I’m happy you're back.” He says, smiling with every ounce of his soul.

“I missed you too, and hey, guess what?” Obi-Wan is full on grinning at him now, scaring Anakin just a bit. 

“What?” He says in an exasperated sigh, still euphoric over Obi-Wan’s return.

“I’ve got some training for you to do.” Anakin rolls his eyes and laughs, loud and happily.

“I’ll bet you do!” Obi-Wan starts to laugh with him and now more than ever, Anakin is glad he got his second chance at this. At living.

“Thank you, My Love.” Anakin says, eyes sparkling.

“Oh, Anakin.” Obi-Wan laughs and Anakin feels just the brush of lips on his. It’s more than enough.

THE END. UNTIL THE EPILOGUE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE! Anyways, that is mostly the end! What do you guys think now that it's over?


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the epilogue to beat all epilogues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is shorter than normal but its okay, the end has been a long time coming.

Anakin passes away quite peacefully, having lived a long and happier life towards the end. His children and their spouses greave him, along with his two grandchildren. He had, within his lifetime, almost eradicated two groups of people. One he was proud of and one he wasn’t. The loss of the Jedi rings throughout the galaxy even long after his children’s children die. There is nothing he can do to change what he did or why he did it, but at least he knows he tried his best to rectify it before he died. The loss of the Hutt cartel and slavers around the galaxy however, that is something he dies extremely proud of. He had found a reason to live, one Obi-Wan could be proud of as well. The now free slaves of the Outer Rim call him the Sky Walker, God among man. The citizens of the galaxy remember and call him both Darth Vader and The Hero with No Fear. One they love, the other they fear and loathe. Everyone in the galaxy knows his name, whether they love him or they hate him. He was the greatest Jedi of all time in the public’s eyes and he was also the greatest villain. No one could ever say he didn't leave behind a legacy. No one could ever say he didn't live his life. 

He looks on with Obi-Wan at his side now. They are both one with the force but they are still themselves, living amongst each other in the cosmos. It isn't a fate too cruel, he thinks, given all that he has done. They speak through the force, they live and they thrive, but they do not suffer. When the force created Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, it must have known it was going to create legacies, legends, myths. Kenobi in the core worlds, Old Ben in the Outer Rim, Lumo in Myths told among the Witches of Dathomir. He is the phoenix, the one that rises from the ashes of Mustafar and saves the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the hero parents tell their children about, parents including Luke and Leia Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the light. 

They are Kenobi and Skywalker, even after death. They have been recorded as heroes and will live on as such, even if Darth Vader persists as the villain. Stories arise where Skywalker and Kenobi face Vader on Mustafar or Tatooine, brave and undaunted as they back him down from his missions for evil. Anakin looks at the different stories, the holodramas where they turn on each other or love each other or even worse, kill each other. They all have factors that border the truth and Anakin, in his cosmic encasement wonders if they will ever get it fully right. Maybe someday that will happen but for now they skirt around the truth, each trying to put the pieces together for a story that happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. 

The truth, that Vader and Anakin are one and the same, that he both saved and destroyed millions of people in his own right, is too absurd for people to comprehend and so they don’t. Luke and Leia tell the galaxy of their fathers and their mother and the good they did for all who resided under the stars. Darth Vader is a legend, the black masked figure that comes for you, sucking the very air out of the room with his loud breaths. They're loud because he’s killing you. You don't even know that he is or how he is, but he is. He is the one who appears from the mist, who destroys everything you love. Legend says he even killed his wife. Children dream about Anakin Skywalker, the best pilot in the galaxy, the Chosen One, the one who saved them all. Anakin Skywalker? A myth, they say. One meant to inspire children to do their best and to help people. 

Anakin laughs as he watches history unfold. It’s good and it’s bad but he is at peace, one with the force and one with Obi-Wan. His children pass eventually but they have no need or want for what he has. They have lived and loved and hated and died and they don’t want immortality. He accepts this and loves them continuously. His children are not legends, not the way he and Obi-Wan are, but they have changed and shaped the galaxy in their own right. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker do not die, they continue. They watch over the sentient beings and they live within each other for all time. They are not Gods, but they aren't men either. All that matters to them at the end of it all, here where they exist among past, present, and future, is that they are together. Together until the end of the line. 

 

 

Leia Skywalker gets a happy ending as Leia Antilles. She marries him on Naboo but in Theed, the palace alive and happy as the Chancellor of the New Galactic Republic marries a famous Rebel Alliance pilot who helped save the galaxy. They're holonet gold, the public eating up every second of their public outings. People watch them on dates, walking around with their son Ben and such. Leia smiles at everyone, thankful for the chances she has been giving. She hadn't considered politics heavily until after the fall of the Empire, the loss of Obi-Wan instilling a patience in her she didn't think existed. They speak sometimes, Obi-Wan and Leia, his blue form offering love and hope. He tells her about the Republic of old, before Palpatine and it wasn't perfect but it is a place to start. She starts each day with a phone call over to her brother’s house before greeting her own family. She heads to the senate ready for change and the galaxy notices, the galaxy thanks. She is Leia Skywalker Antilles and she is happy. 

 

 

Luke Skywalker Solo is euphoric after his wedding and such. He has a baby girl and a new apartment on Coruscant near Leia’s. Han fixes up Obi-Wan’s sand hut in the Jundland Wastes for vacations when they need to be away from the city life. Chewbacca lives with them, happily raising the baby for them while Han helps lead the military in the New Republic and trains pilots and Luke begins a new era of Jedi. It is a decision not to make either his own child or his nephew a Jedi. They believe it is in the galaxy’s best interest if the Skywalker’s no longer dominate the Jedi Order. Luke and Leia raise normal children and they send them to school. Ben and Rey are sweet and they allow their parents to live their crazy lives without complaint. Luke is happy. He teaches young ones to protect and defend the galaxy, and he loves with all of his being. Han and Luke live happily ever after and even when Luke thinks it’s too good to be true, Han reminds him of all the times he almost died. Luke decides that maybe he did deserve it after all .

 

 

~35 years prior to the death of Anakin Skywalker~

“Do you think that it was worth it?” She asks, leaning against the balcony looking at her brother with eyes wise beyond her years.

“I don’t know if I think it, but I most certainly believe it and thats enough for me.” Luke answers, half grin on his face. Han is inside with the baby, singing a soft Corellian lullaby. 

“The galaxy is in shambles. How do we even begin to fix it?” She whispers, moving around her brother to get a better view of the Coruscant skyline. The artificial breeze created by speeders whips her hair around her face, brown tendrils painting the skyline in jagged, wild strokes. 

“Well, Madame Chancellor, I believe everything you need and more rests at your feet.” Theres a small smile on Leia’s face and Luke swings an arm across her shoulders. The sun is setting on the way life had been for them and they are ready, ready to begin to live. Unknown to them, the force sings happily in it’s balance. They have helped fulfill the prophecy, let them now live in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING I LOVE YOU AND APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH


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